Let us know how your dog is doing on any of our homemade dog food recipes!
Reader Interactions
Comments
Rami Nelsonsays
Hi,
You have a great website and I would like to start feeding our dog the raw dogfood. I was wondering if you have a raw recipe that uses chicken? Thanks very much,
Rami
I have a 6 yo spaniel rescue. Feeding her your cooked diet Monday she got heartguard and now has runny stool. Is that normal with heartguard? Should I change her food?
Hi Ed,
I absolutely LOVE this website! Thank you for your dedication. Tilly is my 4yr old Shihtzu, and she has been having skin problems for 3 1/2 years. Breaking out in bright red rashes, sticky waxy skin, nasty smell, bad ears….problem spots were worse under her front legs in her “pits”. After 3 different vets, a HOST of antibiotics, steroids, and other antidotes, nothing helped. I spent a fortune trying everything, the most expensive foods to the Vet recommendations for Science diet prescription formula. Nothing worked. After seeing your site one day, I said that the raw beef diet would never work cause I thought she was allergic to beef.,….and chicken, and turkey, and bison, and rabbit, etc etc. Finally, when the newest “wonder” drug failed, I decided to give your plan a try. I will say that I almost threw in the towel every day for the first 3 weeks, because her symptoms got worse and her skin was horrendous. I kept plugging along WITHOUT ANY DRUGS, bathing her every other day to ease her discomfort. FINALLY, my determination has paid off. TILLY’S skin is perfect, no sores, no stinky nasty fur. I still bathe her every 3 or 4 days, as her skin does get a waxy feel. But no redness and she is so comfortable. However I am finding that she is itchy. I have 2 cats, and I am almost convinced that she is allergic to them. With all this being said do you have any suggestions to help with the “itchy’s”? Thank you again, for your site. You have saved TILLY’S and my mental state! Lol
I have had issues with my german shepherd for over a year now. We have just recently discovered her food allergies. I have changed her food numerous times until finally discovering a “kibble” that she tolerates. I’m unhappy with this, and want to completely solve her issues. I’ve just begun my research on feeding raw. I am beginning to head that route, however am at a loss as to how to even begin the process. She reacts severely to any form of poultry. Also beef, grain and soy. The holistic vet I have just seen said rabbit, venison and fish are okay. Any help with recipes that have only those protein sources?
My wife has a 10 week old French Bulldog, we’ve had her on the easy cook recipe for about two weeks. She we be about 16 lbs fully grown, how much should we be feeding her? We’ve been giving her about 1/2 cup a day and been feeding twice a day. Do you think this enough for her or hold we increase the amount? Thanks,
That sounds about right. You may find that you increase the serving size a little as she grows. If she starts packing on excess weight then cut back a little.
Hi. I just came across your website at the right time. I have 3 dogs that just don’t like their kibble anymore and I feed them the best holistic food I can find. Most of the summer they have just been eating every other day or just one meal. Basically just picking a few bites here and there. I wanted to know what percentage of fat should the beef be. For myself I usually buy the 95% fat free beef. Would that be okay for my dogs? Also my one dog has HGE. Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis so I have to be careful with her. But she has had chicken and rice and does well on it. And she does well on beef too.
Thank so much and thanks for sharing this 🙂
Lynn
My 5 year old golden retriever just had bladder stone surgery and is now on a special diet ,,,,Royal Canin SO. Can you suggest any recipes for homemade treats I could make since her regular dog biscuits are probably not good for her? Thanks, Linda
Hello,
We have an 8 year old Lab recently diagnosed with Hepatitis. He’s not a big fan of the dog food our vet recommended for his condition. Do you have any home-made dog food recipes specifically for dogs with liver problems? Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Ed,
Im looking to start cooking real food for my dog, she has extreme shedding problems and continually looks bloated and she has stinky breath. Im concerned that its her diet, I purchase purina pro plan weight management food and it states on the back of the bag that it has real chicken in the food but she still looks overweight and she still sheds so Im at my wits end. I recently started on a Paleo plan myself (no grains, no suar, lots of protein)and I have felt so much better so that really led me to believe that I should clean up her diet as well. My question is Roxie weighs 53 lbs so how many cups should I feed her and how often, in example, I feed her 1.5 cups n the morning and 1/4 cup in the evening. Should I wean her off the dry food onto the cooked food and will all this make her have loose stools? I know Ive asked alot of questions but I am just a newbie. Thank you so much in advance and I look forward to hearing from you. Becky Skidmore
My guess is she will eat 2 to 3 cups of food per day. Try feeding her the easy cooked dog food recipe. Follow the introductory method that is about 3/4 down the page. Your dog will love this recipe and it is very nutritious. You can also try the chicken and rice dog food recipe.
I have an Olde English Bulldogge who is allergic to a lot of foods. He itches and scratches and sheds when he has a reaction. He was tested by the vet to determine what he is allergic to. We are currently feeding him prescription dog food from the vet that is very expensive and I still don’t think he’s doing as well as he should be on that. So I’m in search of a homeade recipe for dog food to try. He is very allergic to rice, or any wheat, grain, potatoes, etc. Can you recommend a replacement for these ingredients? He can have chicken, pork, eggs, venison, fish and flaxseed, beef is questionable. I want to make sure he’s getting what he needs. Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Ed! I’ve just discovered your website and love it. I have a 3 year old Dachshund and have been wanting to try a homemade diet/raw diet for a while now…she’s been experiencing constipation so it’s really kicked me in the behind to get this going! How do you suggest I wean her off her dry food? Appreciate the help!
Follow the introductory methods I outline with each dog food recipe. Check out the easy cooked dog food recipe it’s about 3/4 of the way down the page.
I have a 12 year old Bichon Frise who has been itching for years. He has spent the last 6+ years on Prednisone (which is no longer controling is itching). He also has problems with his pancreas (digesting fats). The lowest fat kibble to be found is Natural Balance foods, they have 2 or 3 with 10% minimum fat. I just found you site and would like to put him on your Yeast Starvation Diet. I am concerned with him about the raw fat in the meat. How does the raw fat compare to the added fats in kibbled food? On his current diet Natural Balance Duck and Potato food we are not able to get his pancreatic enzymes down to a measureable range, his readings are off the measurable scale. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.
I am very intrigued by making healthier for my dogs, homemade dog food. I do have a question about the hormones in standard FDA approved ground beef; is it, or any other additives, anything to worry about? I try to buy meat with no hormones for my family but that will get awfully expensive when feeding 4 dogs!
I personally don’t worry about it. Commercial dog food uses ingredients not fit for human consumption. So your homemade dog food will be so much better and your dogs will love it and thrive.
Hi,
I have an 18 month old Dalmatian and I have been home cooking for him for approximately 3 months. Part of the reason I began was due to the lack of low purine commercial foods on the market and the other reason was his loose stool and gas from the only low purine dog food I found. I was wondering what you can suggest for his special need ie genetic mutation of uric acid production common in dals and bulldogs?
I have been feeding him combinations of the following foods, all organic and prepared with filtered water:
Protein sources: chicken breast, chicken thighs with skin on during preparation, boiled eggs, ground turkey.
The other foods I combine are as follows: mashed potatoes (sometimes with a little skin left on), mashed white sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and the following foods I purée in blender for better digestion: green beans, carrots, brown rice, zucchini, yellow squash, pasta -sometimes white mostly wheat – always organic.
I also feed him homemade cantaloupe sorbet lol. It’s only cantaloupe in the blender and then frozen in single servers. If I can find fresh mango I add that.
As for supplements I have not had much luck finding vitamins for dogs without liver.. So after too much late night reading : ) I now alternate daily between seaweed calcium from Ireland made for dogs and cats and udos choice pet essentials. I purchased irganic kelp but haven’t added it yet.
Chief snacks on ice cubes as treats since he isn’t a big water drinker. I also add enough water to each meal making his bowl look like stew somedays and soup other days!
My main concern is that while he no longer has gas and his stools are perfect 🙂 he appears to the eye to have leaned out a bit since the switch to my home poked diet. We are extremely active since these dogs need vigorous exercise! Our daily routine involves either a 2 1/2 mile bike ride (at his pace) or a same distance jog along with at least an hour in the pool split up depending on how hot he is after biking/jog. We usually play fetch in the pool in the evening but that is covered in the hour of pool time. We are in sunny south Florida : ) and are heating the pool so his routine doesn’t change since these dogs need so much activity.
I also Check his urine ph which varies but seems more on the acidic side rather than alkaline.
Any advice would be beyond appreciated!
Seeing Spots,
Susan
I have a 12 year old Springer Spaniel with Cushings. He takes Lysodren 3 days a week (basically chemo therapy). Overall he is doing better than I thought he would, 2 years after diagnosis. But still has very bad ear infections, itchy skin, licks everything constantly and has lost the ability to jump on the sofa (his favorite place to sleep).
I am planning on starting your yeast starvation diet as soon as I get the supplements. Do you think this will help him with the Cushings as well?
Also, do you know if the supplements are “China” free…. I am very paranoid about anything that is manufactured with any ingredient from there.
I always think feeding a highly nutritious homemade dog food is beneficial. The supplements I recommend are made in the USA with USA ingredients, nothing from China. Good question!
Ed, like Pam I have 13 yr old English Springer Spaniel with Cushings as a result of an adrenal tumor. She has arthritis. The surgical option for the tumor seems unrealistic and we are hoping to make her comfortable, and and enhance her quality of life to the inevitable decision that is ahead of us. I’m considering you raw diet and am asking your advice on an arthritis supplement that might keep her mobile.
hi! what a great website you have here. so before i begin a new diet for my “piggies”, i have a few questions..i have 2 dogs (mixed breeds) 11 years old-brother & sister who have put on a few extra pounds. my female is 60lbs & my male is 80lbs. they have been on fit&trim for about 5 yrs & regular walks to no avail of losing weight. my male is actually not even enjoying walks anymore, hes slow & sluggish. that being said do you have any “diet” recipes you would recommend? and where can i purchase the supplements you add right before feedings?
Most dogs will lose unwanted fat on the yeast starvation dog food recipe. The single serve packet supplements are in some of the videos. Dinovite discontinued packaging the dinovite liquid in this manner due to leaky packets. I also use the Dinovite powder with great results.
I have a 2 year old French Bulldog. January of this year we had well blood work done.
Her only symptoms were loose stool and itchy feet. Tests showed elevated liver enzymes from bile getting into her blood stream. Took her to the University of Georgia where they did further tests including a sonogram of her liver. Showed vascular displasia of blood vessels going in and an under developed liver.
They suggested Hills ZD which is an allergenic food without the animal protein which her liver could not handle. After eight weeks she had normal liver enzymes.
The problem is her paws are still breaking out and itching. I would very much appreciate you opinion of this situation as I understand you have resolved many issues for our pets we love so much.
I thank you for your time in helping me with this.
It sounds like you have veterinarians working on your dog so I don’t think it makes sense for me to give a opinion. I don’t want to suggest something that could harm your dog.
im not sure where my second post went too, but i have been researching this homemade dog food extensively & would like to try your cooked dog food recipe. the only thing is it would take about 30lbs of meat to feed my dogs for 1 month-which could break the bank! so i was wondering if i could split the meat in half with something like lentils that are cheaper but still high in protein.
I have a 3 year old Bichon with severe digestive issues and allergies, been trying different digestive products and detox products however he is unable to tolerate any of the products well. Some products do help a bit but not the full effect. Hoping you can guide us in the right direction.
ED
I had been feeding my dogs good quality dog food but it seemed that after a week or so they would quit eating it. They would just turn their noses up at it as if to say “your kidding, you want me to eat this?” I came across your website and started my 3 year old weimeraner on the cooked dog food recipe. He loves it!
I would like to start my my senior dog on homemade as well but she has an intolerence to chicken and egg. It makes her eyes and ears very itchy.
Do you have any suggestions?
I am very pleased about finding your website. My dog has allergies to grains so he is on Earthborn Coastal Catch. My problem is ,I am staying with friends with my dog. I would like to do some healthier foods but I have very limited freezer and refrigerator access as I have to share space. His treats are antlers, and all natural and holistic, made by Nutrisource, and NOTHING made in CHINA! What could I give him that would be raw and good for him also while he still on his kibble. Thankyou for your help. Debbie Bellows
I not had a good experience feeding raw and kibble, the dogs tend to get digestive upset. Nubonubs are healthy dog treats that are just dehydrated beef and dogs love them.
I started feeding my Corgi puppie (6 months) your raw dog food a week ago…I cannot believe the difference in her! She has more energy – likes to go for runs instead of walks…and NO MORE GAS! Her demeanor is totally different – happy and carefree – because her stomach isn’t so bloated (I imagine!). Thank you for a great website! Your raw dog food recipie is easy to make – and store and Sadie is happy so, of course, I am happy! Thanks Ed!
Hi,
You site is very informative and interesting. THANKS! I rescued a spaniel mix a few months ago. She is a very sweet dog however she scratches her entire body (ears,belly, paws, hind quarters, etc., ) constantly….poor thing. I have changed her food to no avail. The vet put her on a short course of Vetalog but as soon as she was off of it the itching returned. In fact, it never stopped but calmed down alittle. Now the vet has her on Atopica. I really hate the potential side effects of this medication and as of yet it is not helping. The dog has no open sores nor does she have an odor. Do you think this could be a yeast problem? I would like to try her on your yeast elimination diet. Also, on your site, in one place you say to add 1 TABLESPOON of the supplements and in another place you say to add 1 TEASPOON. Could you please clarify. Thanks again.
Yes, it could be a yeast problem and if so your dog can benefit from the yeast starvation dog food recipe. The liquid supplements have the serving size of 1 teaspoon per cup of food and the powder is about a tablespoon per cup of food.
Hi again,
A couple more questions; During the initial 8 days of starting any of your food “diets”, for example you say to start the dog on 1/4 serving for 2 days. Does the dog get any other food? Example: day 1 – no food
Day 2+3 – 1/4 serving, NOTHING ELSE (other than water)?
My dog hates and will not eat hard boiled eggs. Can I add scrambled eggs or raw eggs to the mix (with shells) instead?
I have always heard that a dog should never eat just “soft” food, that they always need to have a dry food (kibble) to provide a way of keeping their teeth clean. Is this just not true? Thanks again.
The introductory method I outline is designed to limit the chance of digestive upset for your dog. Saving you cleaning up vomit and diarrhea at 3 AM. This method also suits a dog’s biology. Dogs are gorgers and fasters by nature and do well with this method.
Yes, you could scramble the eggs but blend up the shell too, so your dog gets the calcium. If you don’t want to use the egg shells then add some calcium like Fidocal.
I’ve found dogs fed these homemade dog food have clean white teeth. The high carbohydrate and filler content of kibble is what I think contributes to tarter build up on a dog’s teeth.
I’m feeding my 3 year old Weimaraner the “Easy Cooked Dog Food ” recipe with ground beef. He loves it and has had no issues. I would like to switch my senior Ridgeback to this recipe too. However she has an intolerance to eggs. Eggs make her eyes and ears very itchy. Is there something I can use to replace the eggs in the “Easy Cooked Dog Food” recipe?
Hi! I recently adopted a 8 month/3 Lb chihuahua puppy from my mom (who got him from someone else, so I am guessing on the age.) The dry food he was on when I first got him he liked, of course it was vet prescribed for when he had worms. Worms are gone, food is gone. I tried two different grain-free foods and he did not touch either. I found out a little late because he was supplementing his bully stick for his food. Went to the vet to find out if there was an underlying cause to his not eating. He LOVES the canned food the (new) vet gave him. But its something I know I will eventually have to wean him off of. He actually loves rice so I am thinking the grain-free thing might be a mistake. He doesn’t eat much in general but your homemade food looks WAY better than anything else I might buy at the store. Plus he has dental issues so the softer food may be better. Thoughts?
Thanks,
Maggie
I would pick one of the homemade dog food recipes you think you can make and give it a whirl. Try the chicken and rice dog food recipe for starters he will love it.
Hi Ed
We are about to bring a puppy into our lives. I do want to cook his food. But I’m not sure if the recipes are ok to feed puppies. Any advise or adjustments to the cooked recipes?
Thanks
My dog has been dignosed with liver problems and should not eat any red meats, he should eat chicken, fish , sweet potatoes, do you have receipts for me to cook for him and also what vitamins and minerals should I give to him so that he gets the proper nourishments.
I was also told that he has allergies.
Thank you,
Mary
Hi Ed…i have a 10 year old pug who had a seizure when he was 6 months old and then none until about a month ago and then yesterday he had 4……now i was told to stop protein because protein causes seizures. Now your recipes for the chicken….isn’t chicken protein??? Also the dog treats you posted have protein….what can i use for treats with out protein? Thanks!
I actually came across your site while searching to see if snap peas were healthy for my 6 year old Yorkshire Terrier. We used to give her carrots but since learned they are high in sugar. In reading posts on your site it appears it is difficult for dogs to digest vegetables. Thank you for the newfound knowledge. I am planning to start my Daisy on the yeast starvation diet. She has some dry scaley skin and the vet was telling me that she has blackheads which I didn’t believe and was not going away with the medication he provided. In reading other posts it appears that she has the same symptoms such as a recent ear infection, smelly breath and overall odor even after bathing. She sometimes bites at her paws as well. I thought her skin issue was a reaction to the flea and tick treatment, but in reading your information I believe she will benefit from the homemade recipes. I ordered the Dinovite and Lickochops and can’t wait to get my little girl on track to a healthier life. Thanks so much! I will let you know how it works out once I receive my supplements.
Hi, Ed,
I loved reading your blog and the whole site is great- full of a lot of good information, especially when you READ ALL OF IT. I was advised with “no scientific proof” from my vet that a raw dog food would be something to try with my dachshund chihuahua mix. She recommeneded Stella and Chewy, but I started out with Primal Patties to see if he would even eat them (cuz they were on sale). Corey had started losing his hair on his underside and had what looked like was teenage acne. Little pus filled areas that dried out in rings; very strange. After the 3rd round of antibiotics, I gave in to the raw idea. Initially, I didn’t want to invest time and money in 45 cups of dog food that wouldn’t get eaten. I could deal with a dozen overpriced hamburger patties at a store where they guaranteed he would eat them or I could bring them back. OK! Well, he wouldn’t eat them raw, so I cooked the first one like a burger and did a bit less “well done” each meal (adding 1/4 scoop of dinovite but not the lick o chops to the burger to get him used to it) until I stopped cooking them entirely and he was eating the dinovite and raw Primal Patties until this morning.
I wanted to share my success story in case others were curious about the frozen patties and today was the first day of the recipe for raw using hamburger and your raw recipe. He’s essentially been on RAW for 8 days and he has a ton of energy, doesn’t graze eat anymore (meaning he likes his food!)
I saw that the stool content would be less, but for a 20 # dog, I see about 2-4 cranberry sized hard pellets 3x per day. Is this normal? I have been giving him a small ish bone from the butcher each night as a snack since he doesn’t really have any choice for dog treats. Is the bone perhaps causing the rocklike stools or is it the new diet?
Hi Ed.
I am grateful for your site. We have 14 years old husky/lab mix. We rescue him 5 years ago from shelter with sensitive stomach syndrome. He is on vet recommended I/D gastro dry and wet food. For last 6 months his health declining every day. Vet told us that his liver is not in a good shape (licking enzyme) and age is taking toll on him. I would like to try your recipes however which one will be more beneficial for him: yeast starvation or raw or just easy one. Your recommendation will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Ed,
I’m new the raw dog food idea but I’m about to order everything needed! I have an 1 1/2 yr old, 8 lb. Italian Greyhound, Dimitri. We adopted him from a breeder about three months ago and I’m having trouble getting him to eat. I wouldn’t be so worried because I know this breed can be like that, but hes started loosing his fur. A few sites say this is almost like male pattern balding (its only around his ears, belly, lower legs and tail) but I cant help but to think that he missing something from his diet! I plan on trying the easy raw recipe, how much do you suggest I feed him and do you have any other suggestions? Thank you so much! I’m thrilled I found this site!
-Kate
I think you will be pleased with the results. As far as serving size, feed the same portion as your current food as a starting point. Then adjust the portion up or down a little if he gains or loses weight.
I have enjoyed your website very much and will be switching to the yeast starvation diet. We have a Shih Tzu who has been very sick. She is 14 years old. She has no energy and whimpers if you touch her. Her breathing sounds like she has asthma. She has been to the vet so many times and has been diagnosed with Cushing’s along with a heart mummer. The vet suspects she has cancer because of the levels that came back from her blood tests. She has had six surgeries to remove these skin tags. They just keep coming back. She consistently licks her feet because of these grows. Her stomach looks swollen and she has red patches on her stomach. First I tried the holistic food, she didn’t seem to improve. I have changed her diet to skinned chicken and white rice. I have put her on probiotics. I have bought complete natural shampoo. The Vet wants to treat her with medication. He says it will make her sick. I don’t want her to suffer but I am trying to find healthy solutions for her to make her feel better. Any suggestions.
Ed,
You’re website has been amazing and so helpful! I love reading all questions and your answers were a tremendous help.
We have 2 Shiba Inus – 12yrs and 2 yrs. Our older shiba, Nichi Yoobie, had been healthy and active his whole life. As with all us, his activity level began decrease with age. My daughter moved back home and brought her shiba pup with her. He wasn’t excited at first but he began to accept her and even became more active with her around. In the last 2-3 years we noticed several ‘random’ health issues cropping up for him: low thyroid, excessive winter shedding, allergies, nervousness, and anal gland infections most recently. Always a good eater, Nichi’s appetite was beginning to suffer. We had chalked it up to his age and perhaps some to the extra energy of the newer pup as well. But, I still wondered if there was something more I could or should be doing for him.
We have always used what I considered a very high quality kibble with the canned version as a treat. However, Nichi’s recent healthy issues took a toll on his appetite. Two rounds of antibiotics since last December from the anal gland infections seem to take the worst toll on him. He was barely eating and it was all I could do to get him to even eat half of what he should. He never had any weight issues but now he was beginning to look too thin. I was making chicken and rice but knew he couldn’t stay on that forever even with an added multi-vitamin. That’s when I found the recipes for homemade dog food. I followed both the cooked beef version (with some added beef liver as incentive 🙂 ) and the cooked chicken version, but substitued turkey. I have worked the Dinovite into the main mixture per the recipes and feed it to both dogs. Our older dog, Nichi, absolutely loved it! It was like he had his old appetite back and literally licks his bowl clean. I’m using up the vitamin E and fish oil supplements we already had on hand for him but will add the Lickochops to our next batches. Of couse, Nyla our younger dog loves this as well. She’s a much less picky eater but definitely goes town on this stuff.
So, we are only on 2 weeks of the homemade food with Dinovite mixed in but I’m already noticing some improvements in Nichi’s energy and stool quality. I’m encouraged to see some improvement already and hoping for the best as we continue. I also made a batch of the bone stock with the turkey bones and put about 1/2 tbsp in for each dog.
Hi,
My dog, Goldie, 5 yr old American Pit Bull, has had itchy, bumpy (like mosquito bites) skin and over the last year has developed a smell (my husband said it smells like yeast – I say toast). The vet said he had never seen anything like it (What?!?) and suggested allergy tests. His ideas were allergy to grass, weeds or my house. No thanks, and how do I eliminate her from outside(grass) and inside(house)? I have been investigating and trying quite a variety of foods – all dry, for the past 4 yrs. Finally determined it was yeast after extensive search on internet. Tried apple cider vinegar program. It worked great, but Goldie didn’t like it much. Backed off on vinegar and still on dry food – all her symptoms came back. Finally found a site that described the mosquito-like itchy bumps and blackish skin patches, especially around belly hair follicles. Yeast Infection! Was relieved to read that a compromised digestive system/immune system can lead to other allergies. Their remedy still included dry food. So, I kept looking and finally found your site. Goldie has been on your yeast starvation diet for about a month and everything was going fine until a few days ago. Foamy, then watery diarrhea. She’s still eating and her nose is still cool and wet. Any thoughts on what caused this? I am 100% sold on this diet and know that it’s not the food.
Thanks for your time.
MJL
It sound like a yeast die off is happening. This is also referred to as a detox period. Sometimes during this time symptoms can get worse but it passes with time.
Hi Ed, I have a 12 yr old chihuahua mix that been diagnosed with diabetis. I had bought some food from vet that she recomended from Hills, you can only by from vet, but the dog won’t touch it, would rather starve. I tried for 3 days. He’s back on his kibbles and bits. The vet wants him to eat twice a day, and give him his insulan. He loves raw hamburger. Could he benefit from any of your receipts? I have 2 other little dogs, and if I feed one something, I would like to feed them all the same.
Hi Ed, just wanted to say thank you for your wonderful recipe. I have a 7 year old chihuahua cross who has been suffering for about 6 months with a rash in his groin area. The rash was small red marks and sometimes a small, pimple like pustule would form. The vet said he had an infection in between the layers of his skin and put him on antibiotics. The rash went away, the antibiotics ran out, and the rash came back. I knew if I returned to the vet he would most likely recommend we try switching dog food types/brands. So we played kibble roulette. We switched dog food brands, we switched protein sources, nothing worked. (Oh, and these were the “good” dog food brands like Taste of the Wild, California Natural and Solid Gold.) The rash would diminish and then worsen. It never went away again. I decided to take matters into my own hands and stumbled across your site. I purchased the Dinovite supplement and the LickoChops Omega-3 supplement. My dogs and eagerly awaited the delivery of the package each day so we could begin our raw food journey. Finally, it came. Well, today is day 3 of the raw food meals and my dogs rash is completely gone. I never would have dreamed it could disappear so quickly. The dogs love the food, it is not difficult to make, and the best part: I feel good about feeding it! Thank you for helping us and so many others. -Erica, Jonesy and Hudson
I’ve enjoyed reading your website and have a 9 yr old Airedale that is overweight. I want to start him on the homemade food but am concerned about giving him so much white rice. Do you have any suggestions for weight loss/control? Maybe I’ve missed it in an earlier post. Thanks for your information.
Having hard time finding the right dog food, feel like my dog is missing somthing in her diet. She is ways grazing on twigs and almost anyting she can find, also grass roots and plant roots. What can I do for this, she vomits next morning when she eats foren mater. Need help
Hi Ed. Thanks for providing these great recipes. I am looking to start my 10 year old lab on the chicken and rice recipe and gradually move to the others in time. My vet has recomended not including the crushed egg shells due to the fact that I do not have a blender and the risk of the sharpness of the shell. Do you think a calcium supplement will be needed in this case? Also, my vet was concerned about my lab receiving the proper amount of fiber as well so she recommended adding canned pumpkin or sweet potato to the recipe. Does the Dinovite supplement have fiber in it to help with dogs that have a history of having soft stools and the occasional diarrhia? Thanks for all you advise!
HI Ed,
Just to let you and others know that after almost three months, things are getting much better. I think with time, dinovite, raw diet minus carbs and adding Supr O mega, yogi seems a lot better for the most part…still some small rashes and dark places in the groin, but he is so much more comfortable, which means I am too! How to keep the oil from the tube of Supr O Mega from smelling up the frig? I thought maybe making it cold would make it more solid, but I guess I was wrong…well worth the smell, since this boy loves it and it is making a difference in his comfort. Do the capsules of Omega 3 that you sell have the same value as the tubed product? If so I will order that next time…if not I will put up with the smell, and consider it well worth my dog’s health and comfort. It is so good to have found comfort for him and even if he has another cleansing period, I know that comfort comes around for longer and longer periods. We Thank all of you there, and I am so touched that I receive e mails asking how the boy is doing…the support you offer is second only to the DinOvite!
Thanks
Carole and Yogi
The fish oil is messy and smelly. The smell I can’t change but the mess I’m working on by changing caps and making the hole a little smaller. This seems to work with the tests we’ve done. It is good to hear Yogi is doing better.
Thank you for (1) a very easy recipe outlined step by step and (2) providing a much healthier as well as cheaper alternative to kibble. My guy and I have a rescue Siberian Husky that has a very delicate (even for huskies) system. When we picked him up from the shelter, he was 12 lbs. underweight, throwing up bile, and could not have a solid bowl movement. Almost a month later he has put on four healthy solid pounds, setting down, and has normal movements. He is also much more settled, but don’t take that for less hyper! His energy is amazing but it is not the nervous, stressed energy he exhibited in the beginning. I can tell he is much happier with the cleaner, healthier food as it really is a foundation for a happier, healthier dog! My guy and I thank you very much!
Hi I have a 16 yr old Chihuahua. He has an enlarged heart and is on vetmedin, lasix, and rimadyl. He has always loved people food. The vet tells me he doesn’t have a lot of time left and that his liver enzymes are elevated. I want him to be happy for what little time he has left. He has lost 2 lbs since last october. Would either the raw or cooked diet be a good choice for him?
Thanks so much for your recipes. My puppy loves the raw food and her coat is shiny and silky. My question is that I see the egg shell bits coming out in her stool. Does this mean I am not crushing the shells fine enough. I try to crush them pretty small. I worry that if I see them coming out the “other side” that she is not getting calcium she needs. What do you think?
I will try this recipe and was wondering about the use of veggies (my Long Haired Doxie likes green beans, carrots and sweet potatoes) in this raw meat recipe and not the supplements you mention.
Hi,
My chocolate lab had all the symptoms of thyroid problems – rough coat, ratty tail, overweight, hair loss. He was 116 pounds and looked like a walking suasage. All tests for thyroid came back negative, and the vet suggested “an expensive food that might help boost his metabolism”. I said the heck with that, and discovered your website.
I have 4 dogs – 2 labs, a lab-chow mix, and a rat terrier. They all love your cooked recipe. Chance, my fatty, looks a little thinner after a month. He sure has more energy! I have also been supplementing with dulse drops from a natural food store (for him only), bone stock, flax seed meal, fish oil, and nutritional yeast. All my men are doing good. Chance’s coat is less rough, and the hair is coming back on his tail. Now he looks like a frankfurter instead of a bratwurst. I’m hoping to get him down to cocktail frank. It is also fun to cook for them – kind of like making mudpies as a kid. Throw in nutritious stuff and they never complain! Thanks, Mary
I just came across you website: it’s like I’ve discovered the Holy Grail. I have a 12 year old cross border collie mix who has allergies every year. He’s been on Atopica, cortisone for years…only Atopica worked but my insurance no longer covers it; we’ve reached our max. For the past 6 months he’s been losing his eyesight….sad to see him bumping into walls and trees. My vet can’t explain why. It’s time I do something to help my dog so should I start with the raw food diet or the cooked diet or the yeast starvation diet? Thank you for your website.
I have found your site to be very educational and I have learned quite a bit about dog food within the past few months. I began the yeast starvation diet for my schnauzer approx. 2 1/2 weeks ago. I am not seeing a difference in her skin or her itching. I was hoping for some results within the first few weeks. Any suggestions? I am also going to up the amount that I am giving her as she has been losing weight and she acts like she is starving every day when it is time to eat. Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
You can increase the serving size per day. Make sure you are feeding the recipe as presented with the supplements. Give it at least 6 months. The first few weeks dogs can actually get a little worse.
Hi Ed. After losing one of my Chinese Cresteds to cancer, I did a lot of research online and read about the horrors of manufactured pet food. After finding this site, I immediately began making the “recipe” for my other 4 dogs – 3 Chinese Cresteds and 1 Chihuahua. As you know, Chinese Cresteds can be prone to allergies. My oldest who is 12 years old could not put on weight and was wasting away. I made the raw dog food recipe and the very first night, they went crazy. No one got sick. No one got diarrhea. As a matter of fact, each night they were waiting for their supper. This was unusual as they didn’t eat the manufactured pet food and turned their noses up at it. I guess they had better sense than I did about that food. Anyway, today, the Chihuahua who is 8 years old has a coat that now gleams. The oldest Chinese Crested is putting on weight. The next oldest Chinese Crested who always had horrible acne problems has no acne 3 weeks after being on this diet. She also had been having leg problems and this has cleared up. The ones that were slightly overweight have lost their excess weight and now look healthy. Their energy levels have shot up 1000 fold. Their eyes gleam. No more “eye boogers” or tearing. My Chihuahua had eyes that ran constantly leaving the stains under her eyes. Her eyes are now bright and no longer run. The stains are gone. The youngest Chinese Crested has so much energy, has begun to sprout a little more hair on her body. I could go on and on. I hope everyone begins this diet with their dogs. I have fed them the raw version, but I have also fed them the recipe with cooked meat. They love the raw the best. I can’t thank you enough for sharing such a healthy and wonderful recipe for my pets!
Ed, let me post one more observation about this raw dog food recipe. The fur that my Chihuahua had and the little bits the Chinese Cresteds had was very stiff and wirey. After 3 weeks of eating this raw food recipe (and sometimes cooked meat recipe) all 4 dogs now have fur that is like baby hair. Soft, shiny, shiny, shiny until it gleams. I can’t get over the difference in their fur! Again, thank you so much!
I have a 17 year old Lhasa Apso. He has terrible allergies and was scratching, itching, biting, pulling his hair out and whining all the time. He also has had excessive discharge from his eyes. I ran into your website and decided to switch him over to the raw meat diet. It’s like a miracle happened. Within 48 hours NO more scratching, itching, biting, pulling hair and whining. He doesn’t have any excessive discharge from his eyes either. Thank you for sharing this with other people.
I fasted him for the first 24 hours and then introduced the food slowly starting with 1/4 portion – twice a day and increasing it for the past 7 days. He has had one problem. He has continual diarrhea. Considering his age, do you think cooking his food would help this situation?
Hello, we are adopting our first family pet. A maltipoo puppy (15 weeks). He will be 5-8 lbs full grown. I have been researching homemade food recipes and would like to know if it is safe to add the dinovite and likochops after the food is cooked and cooled, before freezing? This will allow my children to just feed the puppy without having to measure and add the supplements….thank you.
Hi, I’ve been using the raw hamburger recipe since last October for my two labradoodles. My now two year old doodle had a scary bout of pancreatitis that led me to research dog food, eventually finding this site. They have seemingly done terrific with this recipe, until about two weeks ago, when the same dog, Sophie became very ill again with bloody diarrhea and vomiting. I ended up taking her to an emergency Vet as we were traveling. She didn’t have pancreatitis, but they gave her sub-q fluids, antiemetics and antibiotics, as well as Pepcid. She’s fine now, but it’s made me second guess her diet again. I use a 70/30 ratio of hamburger as recommended. Would it be okay to use a leaner ratio? They love, love, this recipe, I might add. Sophie, who is rather picky and refuses a lot of kibble, stands and drools while I prepare this twice each day. Also, is it possible to cook the Dinovite and Lick-O-Chops into the cooked version? The video references the paste, but is the powdered form more stable?
Hello Ed,
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading pretty much all comments & questions posted on your site. Thank you for a wealth of new information! I have 3 wonderful dogs I would not trade anything in the world for! I originally became a step-mother of 2 black labs with my fiancé and then adopted a German Shepard/Queensland mix. The labs are 7 yrs old & the Shepard is 3 yrs old. The labs originally started off in one dish with horrible cheap commercial food when I met my fiancé. I noticed over time the male lab had a hip problem and would give out. The male lab sparked my interest in providing them better food with glucosamine & EASILY DIGESTIBLE. Most commercial dog foods are not easily digestible. With a better quality dry food I noticed a HUGE difference in the male! The German Shepard has alway been painful to watch because she eats/CHEWS so ridiculously slow. I don’t mind that… The dog in question is my female lab… She eats her food so incredibly fast she, belches, farts, throws up, & still continues to look for more food! The others can be done and she is sniffing around where their dishes are. She will continue to eat fresh poop from the other dogs and eat grass/weeds all day! I feel like she eats her food too fast and the side effects proceed because of that. I have tried behavioral training & getting Her to knock off some of those bad habit to no avail! My question is: Do you have a tip or trick to help me slow her down and still get proper nutrients absorption? I am at wits end & so incredibly frustrated by how she hoovers everything! I originally started looking for natural dog recipes because i wanted to find natural raw foods that may slow her down because she would need to CHEW them but also get the nutrients to stay in her body. Please help! It makes me want to cry because I have not found a way to slow her down & take nutrients in without making herself sick. Is it just a personality tick? Any info you can provide on feeding or personal methods of training would be greatly appreciated! I have looked all over websites and your opinions/facts feel heart felt & real. Which is why I ask & have actually joined a blog for the first time ever in my life!
Thanks,
Christina, Huck, Harlow, & Daisy
Some dogs just eat fast and will inhale anything. The good new is these homemade dog food recipes are easy to digest. Some dogs will slow down eating when given meat and bones together and are forced to chew and crunch their meal. Others inhale this like any other meal.
My 2, 2-year old rescues wouldn’t eat their store bought food so I worried that they weren’t getting the proper nutrition. While researching I came across your website & then began feeding them the cooked ground beef recipe this week. So far they’ve gobbled up every meal, so I wanted to say thanks & tell you I appreciate how you manage the posts on your site. So, with that said I have a question. I’m going on vacation for a week and I have someone house/pet sitting. I didn’t want to trouble her with having to add the Dinovite & Lickochops to their meals every day. Would it be okay to skip them for just that 1 week? Also, I’m sure you’ve already answered this, but is there an alternative to using Lickochops?
I have been making bone broth and then cooking the bones for bone meal. Can you mix chicken, beef or pork bones to make the bone meal or should I continue only using chicken bones?
I recently started my dog on the cooked beef, rice, and egg recipe. But first I gradually introduced the DinOvite and LickOchops. Then gradually introduced the beef recipe. She LOVES the beef and supplements. I now recall she had an allergic reaction to white rice a while back, and I am seeing that again now. I am now making a new batch with just the beef and egg. But I am concerned about her possibly being allergic to the egg. Is there something else you can recommend if egg is also a problem? Or is ground beef, and DinOvite and LickOchops enough? Thank you.
One of the goals here is to rebuild your dog’s immune system so it it not misfiring at all sorts of food items. So I would take things slowly. Try to keep the eggs in the recipe. If you have to remove them make sure you add the Fidocal for calcium.
Hello,
My almost 2 year old rottweiller/ st. bernard mix Monroe was recently diagnosed with Addison’s Disease. My veterinarian suggested chicken & rice and high sodium broths. But I don’t feel that it is as filling. He said that this could be controlled with medications. My concern is she lost 10% of her body weight and I just want to get her back to a healthy weight. I feel that if I switch her to a purely homemade diet I will be able to have a little more control over the nutrients she needs. Do you think my Monroe would be a good candidate for your cooked chicken & rice recipe?
Hi Ed,
You really know your stuff, so I’d like to ask you about my 60#, 13-yr-old Border Collie’s diet. He has chronic kidney disease. I’ve been feeding raw beef, liver and chicken, and cooked egg whites plus a soft mush of cooked yams, white potatoes and collards, ¾ C. of each twice a day (as well as supplements). My question is, why do you prefer white rice over vegetables, and is rice okay with CKD? The web info re CKD is too vague for me, and my vets are no help — they refer me to websites I’ve already looked at! Thanks, Lynn
I include the cooked white rice to help cut down on the cost so most people can feed it. You can remove it and be fine. As far as vegetables go, dogs have a short digestive track not well suited to digest vegetables. So, in order for them to get anything of “any quantity” out of them they need to be sort of predigested. This means pulverized and cooked. People tend to lean too heavily in the vegetable direction because lots of veggies are good for humans. Therefore they must also be great for dogs. I believe wild dogs would have gotten their veggies from the stomach contents of their herbivorous prey or their droppings. Depending on the species of herbivore , dropping (feces) can contain nutrients a dog can use. I live on a farm and have many horses. All my dogs will eat fresh horse manure with gusto:)
Hi Ed, My dog is a 2 year old beagle. She weights about twice as much as she should, 60 lbs. How much food would you started her at and what is the best way to decrease her food allowance. She had been spayed and had to have her anal glands removed. Being a beagle, she truly loves to eat. Any advice would be great!
Hello Ed. I was wondering if you could replace white rice with quinoa. It has so much protein, is small but not sure if digested as easily as white rice. Thank you.
Hi Ed I have a 14year old 6lb Yorkie. She was diagnosed with CHF in 2014. My vet told me to cook her food at home. I have struggled to find a recipie. I boil chicken breast or chicken legs. I add low sodium green beans,low sodium carrots,boil white rice. Mix together and feed. She eats extremely well. The problem is she NEVER gets full. She will eat till she literally explodes. I know that isn’t normal. But she has always done this since I got her when she was 3 yrs old. Of course for the first 12years she ate regular dog food. Since she has been diagnosed with CHF and I have to cook for her she has became nothing but bones. Loosing her fur off and on. I thought at one time it was because she was on to much Lasix. So I decreased it. Her hair came back somewhat. Now she isn’t on hardly any Lasix at all. 3daily to half every 2-3. Days. I don’t understand. She absolutely 100% refuses to drink water. Which I know is essential. But she refuses. I thought I was gonna make her give into water but boy was I wrong. She went 2 days without a drop of liquid at all except what was in her food. Well we ended up in the hospital for dehydration. So she is very stubborn. She will not give in like Dr’s say she will. Now my question is what and I doing wrong as far as feeding her. I feel certain she isn’t getting all of the nutrition she needs. Please help. Thank You
Try feeding the easy raw dog food recipe and see how she does. You can blend the eggs and shells in the blender to pulverize the shells. The raw meat is about 70% moisture so this should help her dehydration. Do all the changes slow because she is old.
I want to try out this diet for my 3 Shih Tzu’s. You addressed the question on how to introduce the diet but… if I want to reverse it and go back to a grain free food how do you reverse it? Do you have to do a 24 hour fast and feed them some slowly.
Started the diet today, one of my 3 Shih Tzu’s won’t eat it. The other 2 did reluctantly. Any thoughts?
I try reading the questions and answers but it seems to be many places to look. Hard to find the one I posted to see your response (which there hasn’t been in the 6 days since I asked)
Is there a issue with bacteria from the dogs eating this a concern to humans. Ie. them licking you or sleeping on the furniture.
Sometimes dogs don’t know what to do with raw food at first but they get the hang of it, try hand feeding a little. The bacteria is not an issue for the dogs but can be for people with compromised immune systems and young children. That said I’ve fed raw for near 20 years without incident. Admittedly, I live on a farm, work with animals daily and come into contact with many germs. Some people live pretty sterile lives and don’t have immunity towards many germs and get socked (my opinion).
If you know how much trouble I’ve had over the years with Spring and her itchy skin and losing her hair, big sores, etc. you will understand why I am sharing this information. I found this website and out of desperation, I began the journey of making her food myself on Dec. 25, 2015. It’s now 4 months later and she is not itching, her hair has grown back, no sores and she’s even lost some weight. And…she doesn’t stink! It was the yeast. Who knew? I make all of her food fresh every day. The thought of feeding my sweet Husky/Shepherd 13-year-old, nearly blind Spring a diet that consisted of raw hamburger was a little daunting; however, I found that she loves it. Since I started with the fast and introduced the food slowly, she had no digestive problems. None! She is one happy dog and I am ecstatic. As they predicted, her problems did get worse before they started to get better, but we hung in there. I have spent years taking her to the vet and treating her with allergy shots but never healing her. Today, she is healed! A coupld of vets suggested that I change her food; however, NO vet has ever mentioned to me that it could be a massive yeast infection related to her food. So, this is why I’m sharing this. If it helps just one sweet dog and one more dog lover, it was worth typing this long message. My only deviation from this recipe is that Spring prefers raw eggs. She seems to not like hardboiled eggs. Talk about a spoiled girl! I am so happy that I found this diet. There’s no way I would ever feed another dog anything else!
Ed,
Thanks for your very informative site. I am ready to take the plunge into feeding mine and my daughter’s dog the cooked food recipe. We buy very expensive kibble which leaves a heavy build up of tarter on their teeth unlike canned food. Human grade food has to be better for them. Question: my daughter’s lab mix has been suffering from a trembling jaw. I know he is in pain and possibly suffering from migraines. Aside from the change in diet, would you recommend teeth cleaning and placing a dog under anesthesia for this treatment. I have read the plaque build up may cause the trembling?? We are Leary to put him under due to nearly loosing him to an accidental poisoning. It just seems like it may be more trauma to his nervous system.
Your thoughts.
thanks – I have since found some herbal treatments wh also recommend doses of vitamin C for fighting bacteria in addition to many herbal remedies for toothaches, infection and bad breath. Recieved my dinovite yesterday and I am excited to get my dogs healthy.
Thanks again,
J
Hello,
I started my dachsund/beagle mix on 4/18 without supplements yet. Because i was waiting for my order. He wouldn’t eat kibble any more, he seems very happy and loves the food. My recipe is different. He gets ground beef, chicken, Turkey. Its about 10 lbs i make a huge batch and freeze. In that is rice, california medley of veggies and 18 eggs. I bake 350 for an hr, because i dont know where the meat i buy at the store comes from.
its been almost 2 months he gets 1/2 cup every feeding 1/2 scoop of dinovite powder and hen the likochops. The only thing is he is doing well but we still shedding a bit n he still is crazy with licking his paws. Am i doing something wrong?
It looks like you are adding a bunch of carbs to your recipe and this can promote yeast overgrowth. Try feeding the yeast starvation recipe and see how your dog does.
Good Morning,
I have an 8 month old French Bulldog and he has been regurgitating food almost as long as we have had him. So I’m changing his diet and eliminating dry dog food. He looks healthy and is active plus he eats like a horse.
My question is why would white rice be included in a natural diet? I’m trying to look as this from a logical standpoint. He’s a canine and canine’s in the wild would not have access to rice. I’m not sure of the food value for a dog. I do know that rice can help when a dog is experiencing diarrhea. Everything else I understand.
Thank you,
Royce
Good morning Ed
Great site! My westie has been on this diet for about 3 weeks. This morning he has some mucus in his stool. I understand that this is normal for the process. He’s itchy and paw licking has reduced some days and others…I just can’t do anything to help him.
I realize that this is a process and I am more than willing to work through…But, is there some other encouraging signs that this process is working and if you can maybe give me some idea or signs that we are on the other side of this problem and the yeast is defeated!
I am hopefully that you can give some support and information on this!
I have a 3 yr old Staffordshire Terrier who is 7 pounds overweight and has double hip dysplasia. I am giving him glucosamine and elk velvet. I need to make my own dog food to help him lose weight. I don’t know how much of your chicken rice recipe to feed him or how much and what supplement to give him. Also, how many calories are in your chicken rice dog food and how many should my dog have a day to lose weight? Thanks, Gail
Try feeding the yeast starvation dog food recipe, this should help him trim down. Start off feeding him 2 cups of food per day and see how he does. If he starts to trim down then feed this amount till he hits the desired weight then start feeding a little more until his weight loss stops.
I have two Vizslas, both with GI problems; our female is almost five and our little guy is about six months old. Our girl came to us with Giardia which we were never able to get rid of completely, although it has been dormant now for years. We struggled for a long time finding a food she did well on and she is now on supplements and Timberwolf Organics and does well on that.
When we got our boy, he was super hearty and did well on Timberwolf too, up until about six weeks ago when I started finding puddles of pudding in the yard. We figured he had contracted Giardia, but to our surprise tested negative several times to all parasites. The vet told us to put him on a bland diet of chicken, rice, cottage cheese, and baby food which helped, but whenever we tried to put him back on kibble, the same thing would happen. So, I have been feeding him a mix of hardboiled eggs, raw chicken with bones, cottage cheese, rice and apples and he has done best on that. Recently I realized this might be a forever thing and I was worried as I knew supplementing would be difficult and time-consuming.
I started looking at raw food options, specifically Primal, but when I saw the price tag, I wondered how anyone could afford $20 a day to feed their dog! I came across this blog by chance and just wanted to say thank you! I am going to give the raw dog food recipe a try and am hoping that maybe our guy might do well on it. Just ordered my supplements and I am ready to get started. I’ll report back on the results. Fingers crossed!
Hello,
Bailey was just diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She is a Sheltie mix, 46 lbs.,(everyone thinks she’s a border collie), ten years old. I’ve fed her a variety of “quality” foods, as well as made my own. I’m looking for a recipe that will best to support heart health.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Teresa and Bailey
Hello,
Just started my 12 year old Vizsla on the raw dogfood. I’ve ordered the extra’s you mention but they haven’t come in yet. She has always been a grazer. Never eaten her food right away and sometimes leaves it all day until we get home. She has not been eating lately, so I thought I would try this. She eats right away wagging her tail which she has never done before. She has more energy. She has always had this gag cough and since I started her on this (it’s been about a week now) she hardly coughs at all. My question is, is it normal for a dogs stool to be reduced. She has always gone twice in the morning and at least once or twice in the evening. She didn’t have one yesterday evening or today and the ones she has had have been a lot smaller.
I am DESPERATE. My GSD has been to the vet countless times for his skin (he’s 3 and 82 lbs). When it’s time to shed, he sheds and then some. It’s so bad in the winter that he is constantly scratching, licking, biting his skin. I feel so bad and I’m all out of options. I am concerned about feeding him raw food. I have a 2 year old who is into everything, including the dog water bowl. I would hate for her to touch the bowl and pick up anything. Do you think that maybe cooking the food would still have a good benefit? My mother-in-law recently purchased Dinovite for us after being at my house two days a week watching him consistently itch. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I am wasting money on out vet and getting no results for my dog. We are heartbroken for him….. We just want to fix this.
Try feeding him the raw in a room your two year old can’t access and then wash the bowl. If this is not an option try lightly cooking the food but don’t cook the supplements because heat will destroy them. Add the supplements after the food is cold. Hope this helps.
Hi I’m so excited to start the yeast starvation diet I have a 2 yo french bulldog who is being dealing with yeast infections thanks to all the antiobiotics and vaccines he got when he was little. I was wondering if during this yeast starvation diet can I add the Dr. Mercola Digestive Enzymes For Pets and the LICKOCHOPS ~ OMEGA 3, 6 & E.
We just got a new puppy frenchie also she is going to be 3 months old I’m feeding her kibble but I would love to start her on homemade food or raw I don’t know when is a good time to do it and I want to know if should I get all the vaccines the Vet says I suppose to get with all the research I have made I think vaccines (not all of them) make our pups just getting sick.
Thank you
Thank you so much for answering, so Dinovite it is!!! What about my puppy do you think it’s fine if I start feeding her with the recipe? She is on kibble now and just 3 months old.
Thanks you
Hi,
I just started my 12 years old black labrador on homecooked diet and I have a couple of questions. Can I combine chicken with beef, chicken with turkey..or I should use just 1 meat kind. How much liver is safe to use with 5 pounds meat? Can I substitute the rice with quinoa? All I care is to make his food as healthy as possible so if the rice has no health benefits for my dog I would prefer not to use it. I already ordered all the supliments you suggested.
Thank you so much for all the great information you have on your website.
Yes, you can mix meats. As far as liver and other organ meats, limit them to about 20% of the recipe because they can cause digestive upset in higher quantities.
Hello Ed-
I am in the process of switching my 3 dogs to homemade food. I understand that dogs do not eat fruit and veggies in the wild, but you are the only source I have found that doesn’t include it in your recipes. If you don’t mind me asking, what are your credentials? Are you a certified dog nutritionist? All I see is that you are a dog lover and this is your passion. Even Web Md suggests vegetables. My vet today suggested a website created by Vets that has homemade recipes, and they include all sorts of fruits and vegetables (and a supplement). It’s hard to know who to trust. Your theory on brown vs white rice sounds good, but again, my vet told me to use brown rice. Can you please share where you get your knowledge on this subject?
Thank you.
No
I don’t mind you asking, I’m not certified but I have been professionally formulating pet feeds and supplements for 20 years. I started formulating reptile diets. In fact I developed one of the first iguana diets ever. I did this by maintaining 100’s of iguanas on my different diets and recording/watching the results and overall health of the iguanas. We were able to grow them to breeding size in a year with no abnormalities. I later developed a carnivore (reptile) diet that I raised babies up to adults and bred them on feeding nothing but the diet. I repeated this procedure over and over again with different species. I used the same method to develop Dinovite and fed my entire kennel on a homemade dog food for years. This is my background.
As far as fruits and veggies go, people tend to want to swing far to that side (vets included) because its healthy for people and quite a bit cheaper and I push back. Yes dogs will eat some berries/fruit but most veggies would be from stomach contents and more likely fresh manure because it is readily available.
Hi Ed! I adopted my uncle’s dog Bailey, who’s a poodle mix 2 years ago. He’s had ear infections that got resolved. But now he has persistent crusting and rashes on his skin despite his food change and apoquel prescribed by the vet. I’m planning on doing the yeast starvation for Bailey once I get the dinovite supplements. So my question is do I still continue to give him the apoquel daily with the diet? I want to eventually stop the medication because it doesn’t seem like it’s working. And is it ok to give the nub nubs snack while he’s on the diet? Thank you for your time!
I’m sorry I don’t have experience with apoquel but it sounds like it’s not working. Yes, you can feed the Nubonubs treats along with the yeast starvation recipe.
HI! I started my Pitbull on the yeast starvation diet after 24hrs of fasting. She has been on it for 9 days now and has yet to have a firm stool. She is having diarrhea every time she goes out and after going she just stands there hunched trying to eliminate and of course its nothing but liquid. I am getting worried since I have always been a “firm stool” freak her whole life. She has been suffering from yeast her whole life, she is 7 and I cannot stand to see her quality of life diminish like it has, that’s why I am done with the kibble. Should I be worried because of the diarrhea or is it normal with this yeast starvation diet??? If its normal, when should i see her stools become firm again and if its not normal what should I do?? Has anyone experienced this? thank you!!
Usually a dog may get too firm of a stool on the diet. What you could be seeing is a yeast die off. Your dog may also of been on a high carb diet if this is the case try feeding the easy dog food recipe because it has rice in it and this can help the transition from kibble to homemade. If that works then each time you make a batch use half the rice until it is rice free, this should do the trick.
Hi Ed!
Our dog Sandy is a medium size Potcake we rescued from the Bahamas. She is about 2 years old now. She went through heartworms treatment this year succesfully and also had other GI issues like clostridium toxines and all the meds she had to take took a hit on her but she is looking healthy again! Because of all these GI problems we’ve been feeding her basic rice and meat when she was worse and homemade foods and she’s been on good quality kibbles and canned food for a while. But I definitely want to give her homemade food that contains all the nutrients required and it seems that your aupplements would do it! I personally prefer to start with cooked meat until we are sure she is stabilized with all the issues and won’t need anymore meds for a while, because they have taken a hot on her immune system and GI system. Would you recommend using the lickochops or the supromega or maybe both or rotate? Woth the dinovite of course. Any other supplement occasionally or also add organ meat or fish that I read is really good?
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your help. We have been cooking for two months now for our two golden retrievers. My female had saggy red eyes and a very sensitive stomach. Our male was always licking his paws and had dry skin. And of course we have the dogs that shed the most. I was switching dog foods constantly trying to find the right one and then when I thought I did they would discontinue it. My last golden retriever died of cancer very young(7). I had it. I started looking up homemade dog food last year and kept saying I was going to switch. Then I found your website. It is so easy to use and my dogs love the recipes. They also love the supplements. Their shedding has cut in half. My female’s eye problems are gone and no more sensitive stomach issues. My male licks no more and they are so soft and happy. My husband and I tag team on cooking day for the dogs. We cook once a month and it is so easy. We are also saving money.
Don’t know why we did not do it sooner. Thank you so much. Now we are looking to do it for our two cats.
Yay! I finally figured out how to get on this communication site. I have been trying for 3 days!
Anyhow, I was lucky, I guess, to have clicked on your website first, in my search for homemade dog food. My Molly is an 11yr old lab/boxer mix and although I had fed her homecooked chicken the first 5 yrs of her life, i switched her to commercial. Now I want to switch her back because she seemed to have lost her appetite, and energy. She had a shoulder soft tissue injury about 8mos. ago and has been limping. Tried anti-inflammatories and pain killers but it comes and goes, so I stopped the Metacam. I followed your chicken and rice recipe and has been on it for 3days now. I have not ordered your Dinovite or Suprmega yet, but I sprinkled flax oil in it. I read about the healing powers of Turmeric for joint and muscle aches and pains and startd adding this too today. I noticed her poop is smaller, and I read elsewhere on “comments” here that that’s normal. Whew. Thank goodness, as I was worried.
So, tomorrow i will order the Dinovite, Supremega and Lickochops as I learned, also in reading most of the “comments” here that it answered most of my concerns.
Molly took to her new food right away and actually looks forward now to mealtime.
So my question now is: would it be okay to give her Turmeric, and her glucosamine supplement for her joints along with her new diet? Because she’s still limping, and I want to stay away from the prescription Metacam. I plan to switch her back and forth too, with the cooked beef and chicken recipes. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise!
My dog has always licked his paws and got ear infections. Then one day at the end of August last year, he stopped licking and started biting until he was bloody and his paws and armpits were furless. He has been living in an e-collar since. After many visits to 2 different vets and trying every medication for allergies that currently exists short of allergy shots, I decided to change his diet. So in March this year, I put my dog on your yeast starvation diet but I cooked the ground beef (73/27) because I have a toddler. The changes he went through while on the diet were interesting to say the least. After about a week in, his white/cream fur turned dark pink in many places-down his legs, around his face, on his rear. This happened pretty much overnight and I was excited, thinking this was the yeast coming out (as I had previously researched). The fur color went back to normal white about a week later. Then, his fur started falling out on its own (we had him in an e-collar still). It happened in patches. He didn’t get any ear infections since I started the diet though. In fact, his ears were cleaner than they had ever been since I adopted him, so that was a positive sign I held on to despite the loss of fur being a shock. Then, about 4-5 weeks in, he started getting a thick, green discharge from his eyes and some of the fur around his eyes fell out (but not all of it) and the skin was red. The next week all of the fur on his chest and neck fell out and the skin was red, hot and inflamed. He smelled terribly of Fritos and my house smelled terrible. All of this was very, very concerning but I told myself this was still the yeast and bathed him regularly with a holistic anti bacterial neem/tea tree shampoo and tried to keep him comfortable. A week later, he was still experiencing the fur loss/red skin and he also got a bad ear infection and his ear was swollen worse than I had ever seen it. The fur on the underside of his ear came off easily in chunks when I tried to clean his ears and put drops in. That was very shocking to me, it was like the fur wasn’t even attached it came off so easy. Then, the following day a benign cyst he had on his tail from the day I adopted him burst. I expressed as much of the black gunk as I could but was concerned about the bleeding and risk of infection (and everything else that was going on) so I took him to the vet again the next day. I told them about my systemic yeast theory, everything I was doing with his diet and everything he had experienced. They were concerned that he was possibly allergic to the eggs or beef I was feeding him and told me those were highly allergic foods. I was shocked and didn’t want to give up after being on the diet for less than the minimum 90 days recommended, but I was very concerned about the state he was in. They gave him a steroid shot, more medication for his ear infection, a new chlorhexadine based shampoo and mousse, and a prescription for Purina Pro Plan Hydrolyzed food. They also sent me home with prednisone pills to use if the steroid shot didn’t help. I transitioned him to the new food. His ear infection cleared up with the meds. The steroid shot gave him some relief from itching for about 2 weeks, but it progressed back to him being very itchy. I called the vet and started him on the prednisone pills, but they didn’t help at all. Now, he has been on the prescription food for a little while and he is absolutely miserable. He is still in an e-collar. He has been able to get it off a few times and he has chewed his paws bloody in a matter of seconds. I know he has not been on the food the recommended amount of time to truly evaluate it either, but he is so itchy, rubs himself on anything he can, licks his e-collar constantly and will try to chew his paws the second he is done eating.
I can find a lot of information on yeast online, but very little on the symptoms dogs face during yeast die-off, only that it will usually get worse before it gets better. I know every dog is different, but I can’t find any personal accounts/experiences which is confusing. Then, I also recently read that many people say diet can’t create or eliminate yeast issues and that was a myth perpetuated by a vet on the internet. I’m so confused with information overload and saddened that my dog has had to live almost a year in an e-collar and is so miserable. Do you have feedback on the symptoms I described to determine if it was an effect of yeast die-off, or an allergic reaction to beef or eggs like the vet thought? Thannk you!
I’m sorry for the late reply, my schedule got crazy and I took some time off from the site. Can I ask, did you mix the Dinovite and Supromega with the yeast starvation recipe because this is important? The Dinovite provides microbes that will help support the immune system and out compete the yeast.
The myth idea that “diet can’t create or eliminate yeast issue” is nonsense, diet is the cause. Cooking the meat is ok, it makes sense with a toddler. You can switch meats if you want. I had a dog named Polly who had terrible yeast issues, she would itch till she bled and stink so bad that visitors would hold their nose and say “my word what is that smell” She weighed about 30 pounds. I fed her a can of salmon, two raw egg yolks and a scoop of Dinovite a day and she cleared up.
What is going on is the yeast is now systemic in your dog, leaked through the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream where it has spread throughout your dog’s body. You need to build up beneficial bacteria that will out compete the yeast in the GI tract and then it will start to heal. The steroids are counterproductive to a healthy immune system, it’s a vicious circle.
You have to feed a carb free meat based diet and build up the gut flora with beneficial microbes, add Dinovite (some of the highest concentrations of microbes available). You can try feeding green tripe as the entire food and see how he does. Brace yourself this stuff smells bad. You can order it on texastripe.com
Again, I’m sorry for the late response but let me know how it is working out.
Hi Ed
Just made a batch of your chicken and rice dog food recipe and got my order from Dinovite.
One of my dogs is allegic to the super o mega fish oil, what can I substitute for it?
Also I see you use tubes of super o mega and I received 8 oz bottles of it. Is this ok to use and how much do I use?
this is what I am doing:
I have 2 small Italian grey hounds. One is on serioids for his health, so he tends to be a little over weight due to the meds he’s on.
This is what the receipe is: 4 pounds of chicken thighs cooked in their juices, 1 cup of brown rice, 9 hard boiled eggs, and pulverized egg shells. Then I add 1 full cup of Divovite with mix well. Put into indiviual containers and freeze.
When I am feeding them, I give each dog I cup of the receipe, also each serving I give them the lick o chops 1 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon of the super o mega fish oil and a scoop half scoop of divovite.
I don’t know how much to put into the entire receipe when making it. Is just putting it into each serving enough. Do I need to add the super omega fish oil to the whole entire receipe how much do I give since my receipe is not as large as yours.
Need your advice
The Supromega is the same in the bottle or tube. Yes, you can add the supplement at each feeding instead of mixing it into the recipe. This may be a good idea for you so you can skip the fish oil on your dog that is allergic to it.
Hi,
You have a great website and I would like to start feeding our dog the raw dogfood. I was wondering if you have a raw recipe that uses chicken? Thanks very much,
Rami
Rami,
Yes, I just posted a chicken and rice dog food recipe and will post another shortly.
How often do you feed your dogs, (splitting amount suggested), once a day, twice or three times a day?
I feed my dogs once a day.
I have a 6 yo spaniel rescue. Feeding her your cooked diet Monday she got heartguard and now has runny stool. Is that normal with heartguard? Should I change her food?
I wouldn’t change her diet, see if her stool firms up.
My dog is losing hair and seems a bit incontenient now. Never had that problem. Been on ur cooked diet for 3 wks
I’ve never had this experience.
Hi Ed,
I absolutely LOVE this website! Thank you for your dedication. Tilly is my 4yr old Shihtzu, and she has been having skin problems for 3 1/2 years. Breaking out in bright red rashes, sticky waxy skin, nasty smell, bad ears….problem spots were worse under her front legs in her “pits”. After 3 different vets, a HOST of antibiotics, steroids, and other antidotes, nothing helped. I spent a fortune trying everything, the most expensive foods to the Vet recommendations for Science diet prescription formula. Nothing worked. After seeing your site one day, I said that the raw beef diet would never work cause I thought she was allergic to beef.,….and chicken, and turkey, and bison, and rabbit, etc etc. Finally, when the newest “wonder” drug failed, I decided to give your plan a try. I will say that I almost threw in the towel every day for the first 3 weeks, because her symptoms got worse and her skin was horrendous. I kept plugging along WITHOUT ANY DRUGS, bathing her every other day to ease her discomfort. FINALLY, my determination has paid off. TILLY’S skin is perfect, no sores, no stinky nasty fur. I still bathe her every 3 or 4 days, as her skin does get a waxy feel. But no redness and she is so comfortable. However I am finding that she is itchy. I have 2 cats, and I am almost convinced that she is allergic to them. With all this being said do you have any suggestions to help with the “itchy’s”? Thank you again, for your site. You have saved TILLY’S and my mental state! Lol
Sometime adding more fish oil to the diet helps.
I have had issues with my german shepherd for over a year now. We have just recently discovered her food allergies. I have changed her food numerous times until finally discovering a “kibble” that she tolerates. I’m unhappy with this, and want to completely solve her issues. I’ve just begun my research on feeding raw. I am beginning to head that route, however am at a loss as to how to even begin the process. She reacts severely to any form of poultry. Also beef, grain and soy. The holistic vet I have just seen said rabbit, venison and fish are okay. Any help with recipes that have only those protein sources?
You can try pork. In Germany many of the top breeders feed pork and pork guts with great results.
Hi,
My wife has a 10 week old French Bulldog, we’ve had her on the easy cook recipe for about two weeks. She we be about 16 lbs fully grown, how much should we be feeding her? We’ve been giving her about 1/2 cup a day and been feeding twice a day. Do you think this enough for her or hold we increase the amount? Thanks,
Steve
Steve,
That sounds about right. You may find that you increase the serving size a little as she grows. If she starts packing on excess weight then cut back a little.
Hi. I just came across your website at the right time. I have 3 dogs that just don’t like their kibble anymore and I feed them the best holistic food I can find. Most of the summer they have just been eating every other day or just one meal. Basically just picking a few bites here and there. I wanted to know what percentage of fat should the beef be. For myself I usually buy the 95% fat free beef. Would that be okay for my dogs? Also my one dog has HGE. Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis so I have to be careful with her. But she has had chicken and rice and does well on it. And she does well on beef too.
Thank so much and thanks for sharing this 🙂
Lynn
Lynn,
I use the 70/30 ground beef but the lean should be fine.
My 5 year old golden retriever just had bladder stone surgery and is now on a special diet ,,,,Royal Canin SO. Can you suggest any recipes for homemade treats I could make since her regular dog biscuits are probably not good for her? Thanks, Linda
Linda,
I’m not sure I never had a dog with bladder stones.
Join the club, that’s exactly what I’ve been giving my pug… Want out of poisonous industrials….!!
Hello,
We have an 8 year old Lab recently diagnosed with Hepatitis. He’s not a big fan of the dog food our vet recommended for his condition. Do you have any home-made dog food recipes specifically for dogs with liver problems? Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Karrie,
I don’t have a specific dog food recipe for dogs with liver problems. That said, all these dog food recipes are very nutritious.
Hi Ed,
Im looking to start cooking real food for my dog, she has extreme shedding problems and continually looks bloated and she has stinky breath. Im concerned that its her diet, I purchase purina pro plan weight management food and it states on the back of the bag that it has real chicken in the food but she still looks overweight and she still sheds so Im at my wits end. I recently started on a Paleo plan myself (no grains, no suar, lots of protein)and I have felt so much better so that really led me to believe that I should clean up her diet as well. My question is Roxie weighs 53 lbs so how many cups should I feed her and how often, in example, I feed her 1.5 cups n the morning and 1/4 cup in the evening. Should I wean her off the dry food onto the cooked food and will all this make her have loose stools? I know Ive asked alot of questions but I am just a newbie. Thank you so much in advance and I look forward to hearing from you. Becky Skidmore
Becky,
My guess is she will eat 2 to 3 cups of food per day. Try feeding her the easy cooked dog food recipe. Follow the introductory method that is about 3/4 down the page. Your dog will love this recipe and it is very nutritious. You can also try the chicken and rice dog food recipe.
I have an Olde English Bulldogge who is allergic to a lot of foods. He itches and scratches and sheds when he has a reaction. He was tested by the vet to determine what he is allergic to. We are currently feeding him prescription dog food from the vet that is very expensive and I still don’t think he’s doing as well as he should be on that. So I’m in search of a homeade recipe for dog food to try. He is very allergic to rice, or any wheat, grain, potatoes, etc. Can you recommend a replacement for these ingredients? He can have chicken, pork, eggs, venison, fish and flaxseed, beef is questionable. I want to make sure he’s getting what he needs. Thanks so much for your help.
Meme,
Try the yeast starvation dog food recipe. It does contain beef. If beef is a huge problem then substitute it with chicken. You can also try the chicken and rice dog food recipe and eliminate the rice.
Hi Ed! I’ve just discovered your website and love it. I have a 3 year old Dachshund and have been wanting to try a homemade diet/raw diet for a while now…she’s been experiencing constipation so it’s really kicked me in the behind to get this going! How do you suggest I wean her off her dry food? Appreciate the help!
Stacey
Stacey,
Follow the introductory methods I outline with each dog food recipe. Check out the easy cooked dog food recipe it’s about 3/4 of the way down the page.
I have a 12 year old Bichon Frise who has been itching for years. He has spent the last 6+ years on Prednisone (which is no longer controling is itching). He also has problems with his pancreas (digesting fats). The lowest fat kibble to be found is Natural Balance foods, they have 2 or 3 with 10% minimum fat. I just found you site and would like to put him on your Yeast Starvation Diet. I am concerned with him about the raw fat in the meat. How does the raw fat compare to the added fats in kibbled food? On his current diet Natural Balance Duck and Potato food we are not able to get his pancreatic enzymes down to a measureable range, his readings are off the measurable scale. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.
Thanks so much.
Beth and Dandy
Beth,
Starting off you probably want to use leaner meats and add Organic coconut oil for fat that will not stress his pancreas.
Hello,
I am very intrigued by making healthier for my dogs, homemade dog food. I do have a question about the hormones in standard FDA approved ground beef; is it, or any other additives, anything to worry about? I try to buy meat with no hormones for my family but that will get awfully expensive when feeding 4 dogs!
Sincerely,
Carmen
Carmen,
I personally don’t worry about it. Commercial dog food uses ingredients not fit for human consumption. So your homemade dog food will be so much better and your dogs will love it and thrive.
That makes sense. Thanks Ed.
Hi,
I have an 18 month old Dalmatian and I have been home cooking for him for approximately 3 months. Part of the reason I began was due to the lack of low purine commercial foods on the market and the other reason was his loose stool and gas from the only low purine dog food I found. I was wondering what you can suggest for his special need ie genetic mutation of uric acid production common in dals and bulldogs?
I have been feeding him combinations of the following foods, all organic and prepared with filtered water:
Protein sources: chicken breast, chicken thighs with skin on during preparation, boiled eggs, ground turkey.
The other foods I combine are as follows: mashed potatoes (sometimes with a little skin left on), mashed white sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and the following foods I purée in blender for better digestion: green beans, carrots, brown rice, zucchini, yellow squash, pasta -sometimes white mostly wheat – always organic.
I also feed him homemade cantaloupe sorbet lol. It’s only cantaloupe in the blender and then frozen in single servers. If I can find fresh mango I add that.
As for supplements I have not had much luck finding vitamins for dogs without liver.. So after too much late night reading : ) I now alternate daily between seaweed calcium from Ireland made for dogs and cats and udos choice pet essentials. I purchased irganic kelp but haven’t added it yet.
Chief snacks on ice cubes as treats since he isn’t a big water drinker. I also add enough water to each meal making his bowl look like stew somedays and soup other days!
My main concern is that while he no longer has gas and his stools are perfect 🙂 he appears to the eye to have leaned out a bit since the switch to my home poked diet. We are extremely active since these dogs need vigorous exercise! Our daily routine involves either a 2 1/2 mile bike ride (at his pace) or a same distance jog along with at least an hour in the pool split up depending on how hot he is after biking/jog. We usually play fetch in the pool in the evening but that is covered in the hour of pool time. We are in sunny south Florida : ) and are heating the pool so his routine doesn’t change since these dogs need so much activity.
I also Check his urine ph which varies but seems more on the acidic side rather than alkaline.
Any advice would be beyond appreciated!
Seeing Spots,
Susan
Susan,
It seems like you are doing a good job.
I have a 12 year old Springer Spaniel with Cushings. He takes Lysodren 3 days a week (basically chemo therapy). Overall he is doing better than I thought he would, 2 years after diagnosis. But still has very bad ear infections, itchy skin, licks everything constantly and has lost the ability to jump on the sofa (his favorite place to sleep).
I am planning on starting your yeast starvation diet as soon as I get the supplements. Do you think this will help him with the Cushings as well?
Also, do you know if the supplements are “China” free…. I am very paranoid about anything that is manufactured with any ingredient from there.
Pam,
I always think feeding a highly nutritious homemade dog food is beneficial. The supplements I recommend are made in the USA with USA ingredients, nothing from China. Good question!
Ed, like Pam I have 13 yr old English Springer Spaniel with Cushings as a result of an adrenal tumor. She has arthritis. The surgical option for the tumor seems unrealistic and we are hoping to make her comfortable, and and enhance her quality of life to the inevitable decision that is ahead of us. I’m considering you raw diet and am asking your advice on an arthritis supplement that might keep her mobile.
Greg,
The omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E in Supromega fish oil can help with inflammation of joints.
hi! what a great website you have here. so before i begin a new diet for my “piggies”, i have a few questions..i have 2 dogs (mixed breeds) 11 years old-brother & sister who have put on a few extra pounds. my female is 60lbs & my male is 80lbs. they have been on fit&trim for about 5 yrs & regular walks to no avail of losing weight. my male is actually not even enjoying walks anymore, hes slow & sluggish. that being said do you have any “diet” recipes you would recommend? and where can i purchase the supplements you add right before feedings?
Megan,
Most dogs will lose unwanted fat on the yeast starvation dog food recipe. The single serve packet supplements are in some of the videos. Dinovite discontinued packaging the dinovite liquid in this manner due to leaky packets. I also use the Dinovite powder with great results.
Good Morning Mr. Lukacevic:
I have a 2 year old French Bulldog. January of this year we had well blood work done.
Her only symptoms were loose stool and itchy feet. Tests showed elevated liver enzymes from bile getting into her blood stream. Took her to the University of Georgia where they did further tests including a sonogram of her liver. Showed vascular displasia of blood vessels going in and an under developed liver.
They suggested Hills ZD which is an allergenic food without the animal protein which her liver could not handle. After eight weeks she had normal liver enzymes.
The problem is her paws are still breaking out and itching. I would very much appreciate you opinion of this situation as I understand you have resolved many issues for our pets we love so much.
I thank you for your time in helping me with this.
Venita Gaddis
Venita,
It sounds like you have veterinarians working on your dog so I don’t think it makes sense for me to give a opinion. I don’t want to suggest something that could harm your dog.
im not sure where my second post went too, but i have been researching this homemade dog food extensively & would like to try your cooked dog food recipe. the only thing is it would take about 30lbs of meat to feed my dogs for 1 month-which could break the bank! so i was wondering if i could split the meat in half with something like lentils that are cheaper but still high in protein.
Megan,
Try feeding the chicken and rice dog food recipe it is about a third the cost.
I have a 3 year old Bichon with severe digestive issues and allergies, been trying different digestive products and detox products however he is unable to tolerate any of the products well. Some products do help a bit but not the full effect. Hoping you can guide us in the right direction.
What have you tried? What is he currently eating?
ED
I had been feeding my dogs good quality dog food but it seemed that after a week or so they would quit eating it. They would just turn their noses up at it as if to say “your kidding, you want me to eat this?” I came across your website and started my 3 year old weimeraner on the cooked dog food recipe. He loves it!
I would like to start my my senior dog on homemade as well but she has an intolerence to chicken and egg. It makes her eyes and ears very itchy.
Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Corey
Corey,
Which recipe are you feeding because they all have eggs in the recipe?
I am very pleased about finding your website. My dog has allergies to grains so he is on Earthborn Coastal Catch. My problem is ,I am staying with friends with my dog. I would like to do some healthier foods but I have very limited freezer and refrigerator access as I have to share space. His treats are antlers, and all natural and holistic, made by Nutrisource, and NOTHING made in CHINA! What could I give him that would be raw and good for him also while he still on his kibble. Thankyou for your help. Debbie Bellows
Debbie,
I not had a good experience feeding raw and kibble, the dogs tend to get digestive upset. Nubonubs are healthy dog treats that are just dehydrated beef and dogs love them.
I started feeding my Corgi puppie (6 months) your raw dog food a week ago…I cannot believe the difference in her! She has more energy – likes to go for runs instead of walks…and NO MORE GAS! Her demeanor is totally different – happy and carefree – because her stomach isn’t so bloated (I imagine!). Thank you for a great website! Your raw dog food recipie is easy to make – and store and Sadie is happy so, of course, I am happy! Thanks Ed!
Glenda,
All good news, great to hear!
Hi,
You site is very informative and interesting. THANKS! I rescued a spaniel mix a few months ago. She is a very sweet dog however she scratches her entire body (ears,belly, paws, hind quarters, etc., ) constantly….poor thing. I have changed her food to no avail. The vet put her on a short course of Vetalog but as soon as she was off of it the itching returned. In fact, it never stopped but calmed down alittle. Now the vet has her on Atopica. I really hate the potential side effects of this medication and as of yet it is not helping. The dog has no open sores nor does she have an odor. Do you think this could be a yeast problem? I would like to try her on your yeast elimination diet. Also, on your site, in one place you say to add 1 TABLESPOON of the supplements and in another place you say to add 1 TEASPOON. Could you please clarify. Thanks again.
Les,
Yes, it could be a yeast problem and if so your dog can benefit from the yeast starvation dog food recipe. The liquid supplements have the serving size of 1 teaspoon per cup of food and the powder is about a tablespoon per cup of food.
Hi again,
A couple more questions; During the initial 8 days of starting any of your food “diets”, for example you say to start the dog on 1/4 serving for 2 days. Does the dog get any other food? Example: day 1 – no food
Day 2+3 – 1/4 serving, NOTHING ELSE (other than water)?
My dog hates and will not eat hard boiled eggs. Can I add scrambled eggs or raw eggs to the mix (with shells) instead?
I have always heard that a dog should never eat just “soft” food, that they always need to have a dry food (kibble) to provide a way of keeping their teeth clean. Is this just not true? Thanks again.
Les,
The introductory method I outline is designed to limit the chance of digestive upset for your dog. Saving you cleaning up vomit and diarrhea at 3 AM. This method also suits a dog’s biology. Dogs are gorgers and fasters by nature and do well with this method.
Yes, you could scramble the eggs but blend up the shell too, so your dog gets the calcium. If you don’t want to use the egg shells then add some calcium like Fidocal.
I’ve found dogs fed these homemade dog food have clean white teeth. The high carbohydrate and filler content of kibble is what I think contributes to tarter build up on a dog’s teeth.
Hi Ed,
I’m feeding my 3 year old Weimaraner the “Easy Cooked Dog Food ” recipe with ground beef. He loves it and has had no issues. I would like to switch my senior Ridgeback to this recipe too. However she has an intolerance to eggs. Eggs make her eyes and ears very itchy. Is there something I can use to replace the eggs in the “Easy Cooked Dog Food” recipe?
Thanks,
Corey
Corey,
there is not a complete replacement for the eggs. You can add Fidocal to replace the calcium.
Hi! I recently adopted a 8 month/3 Lb chihuahua puppy from my mom (who got him from someone else, so I am guessing on the age.) The dry food he was on when I first got him he liked, of course it was vet prescribed for when he had worms. Worms are gone, food is gone. I tried two different grain-free foods and he did not touch either. I found out a little late because he was supplementing his bully stick for his food. Went to the vet to find out if there was an underlying cause to his not eating. He LOVES the canned food the (new) vet gave him. But its something I know I will eventually have to wean him off of. He actually loves rice so I am thinking the grain-free thing might be a mistake. He doesn’t eat much in general but your homemade food looks WAY better than anything else I might buy at the store. Plus he has dental issues so the softer food may be better. Thoughts?
Thanks,
Maggie
Maggie,
I would pick one of the homemade dog food recipes you think you can make and give it a whirl. Try the chicken and rice dog food recipe for starters he will love it.
Hi Ed,
I have two black lab bird dogs and we have lots of pheasant in the freezer. Can we use pheasant breast meat ground up in your cooked recipe?
Tracy,
Sure, my guess is it is very lean so make sure you add the Lickochops for fatty acids.
Hi Ed
We are about to bring a puppy into our lives. I do want to cook his food. But I’m not sure if the recipes are ok to feed puppies. Any advise or adjustments to the cooked recipes?
Thanks
Helen,
Any of the recipes are fine for puppies. Good-luck with your new puppy!
Thank you… We are looking forward to giving him a healthy life.
Thank you. My plan is to grow the site as time permits.
My dog has been dignosed with liver problems and should not eat any red meats, he should eat chicken, fish , sweet potatoes, do you have receipts for me to cook for him and also what vitamins and minerals should I give to him so that he gets the proper nourishments.
I was also told that he has allergies.
Thank you,
Mary
Maryrose,
Try the chicken and rice dog food recipe and see how your dog does.
Hi Ed…i have a 10 year old pug who had a seizure when he was 6 months old and then none until about a month ago and then yesterday he had 4……now i was told to stop protein because protein causes seizures. Now your recipes for the chicken….isn’t chicken protein??? Also the dog treats you posted have protein….what can i use for treats with out protein? Thanks!
Cindy,
A dog can not live without protein. I’ve never heard the correlation between protein and seizures.
Hi Ed,
I actually came across your site while searching to see if snap peas were healthy for my 6 year old Yorkshire Terrier. We used to give her carrots but since learned they are high in sugar. In reading posts on your site it appears it is difficult for dogs to digest vegetables. Thank you for the newfound knowledge. I am planning to start my Daisy on the yeast starvation diet. She has some dry scaley skin and the vet was telling me that she has blackheads which I didn’t believe and was not going away with the medication he provided. In reading other posts it appears that she has the same symptoms such as a recent ear infection, smelly breath and overall odor even after bathing. She sometimes bites at her paws as well. I thought her skin issue was a reaction to the flea and tick treatment, but in reading your information I believe she will benefit from the homemade recipes. I ordered the Dinovite and Lickochops and can’t wait to get my little girl on track to a healthier life. Thanks so much! I will let you know how it works out once I receive my supplements.
Hi, Ed,
I loved reading your blog and the whole site is great- full of a lot of good information, especially when you READ ALL OF IT. I was advised with “no scientific proof” from my vet that a raw dog food would be something to try with my dachshund chihuahua mix. She recommeneded Stella and Chewy, but I started out with Primal Patties to see if he would even eat them (cuz they were on sale). Corey had started losing his hair on his underside and had what looked like was teenage acne. Little pus filled areas that dried out in rings; very strange. After the 3rd round of antibiotics, I gave in to the raw idea. Initially, I didn’t want to invest time and money in 45 cups of dog food that wouldn’t get eaten. I could deal with a dozen overpriced hamburger patties at a store where they guaranteed he would eat them or I could bring them back. OK! Well, he wouldn’t eat them raw, so I cooked the first one like a burger and did a bit less “well done” each meal (adding 1/4 scoop of dinovite but not the lick o chops to the burger to get him used to it) until I stopped cooking them entirely and he was eating the dinovite and raw Primal Patties until this morning.
I wanted to share my success story in case others were curious about the frozen patties and today was the first day of the recipe for raw using hamburger and your raw recipe. He’s essentially been on RAW for 8 days and he has a ton of energy, doesn’t graze eat anymore (meaning he likes his food!)
I saw that the stool content would be less, but for a 20 # dog, I see about 2-4 cranberry sized hard pellets 3x per day. Is this normal? I have been giving him a small ish bone from the butcher each night as a snack since he doesn’t really have any choice for dog treats. Is the bone perhaps causing the rocklike stools or is it the new diet?
Jessica,
Dog’s fed these homemade dog food recipe have considerably less stool. This is because of the lack of worthless fillers. The bones are fine.
Hi Ed.
I am grateful for your site. We have 14 years old husky/lab mix. We rescue him 5 years ago from shelter with sensitive stomach syndrome. He is on vet recommended I/D gastro dry and wet food. For last 6 months his health declining every day. Vet told us that his liver is not in a good shape (licking enzyme) and age is taking toll on him. I would like to try your recipes however which one will be more beneficial for him: yeast starvation or raw or just easy one. Your recommendation will be greatly appreciated.
Beata,
Try the yeast starvation dog food recipe and see how he does.
Hi Ed,
I’m new the raw dog food idea but I’m about to order everything needed! I have an 1 1/2 yr old, 8 lb. Italian Greyhound, Dimitri. We adopted him from a breeder about three months ago and I’m having trouble getting him to eat. I wouldn’t be so worried because I know this breed can be like that, but hes started loosing his fur. A few sites say this is almost like male pattern balding (its only around his ears, belly, lower legs and tail) but I cant help but to think that he missing something from his diet! I plan on trying the easy raw recipe, how much do you suggest I feed him and do you have any other suggestions? Thank you so much! I’m thrilled I found this site!
-Kate
Kate,
I think you will be pleased with the results. As far as serving size, feed the same portion as your current food as a starting point. Then adjust the portion up or down a little if he gains or loses weight.
I have enjoyed your website very much and will be switching to the yeast starvation diet. We have a Shih Tzu who has been very sick. She is 14 years old. She has no energy and whimpers if you touch her. Her breathing sounds like she has asthma. She has been to the vet so many times and has been diagnosed with Cushing’s along with a heart mummer. The vet suspects she has cancer because of the levels that came back from her blood tests. She has had six surgeries to remove these skin tags. They just keep coming back. She consistently licks her feet because of these grows. Her stomach looks swollen and she has red patches on her stomach. First I tried the holistic food, she didn’t seem to improve. I have changed her diet to skinned chicken and white rice. I have put her on probiotics. I have bought complete natural shampoo. The Vet wants to treat her with medication. He says it will make her sick. I don’t want her to suffer but I am trying to find healthy solutions for her to make her feel better. Any suggestions.
Merry,
Yes, I think trying the yeast starvation dog food recipe is a good idea. Try it and see how she does.
Just a few comments – digestive issues gone (our house is a little less “fragrant”) and he loves it. Also, the brown beard stains are gone!
All good to hear!
Ed,
You’re website has been amazing and so helpful! I love reading all questions and your answers were a tremendous help.
We have 2 Shiba Inus – 12yrs and 2 yrs. Our older shiba, Nichi Yoobie, had been healthy and active his whole life. As with all us, his activity level began decrease with age. My daughter moved back home and brought her shiba pup with her. He wasn’t excited at first but he began to accept her and even became more active with her around. In the last 2-3 years we noticed several ‘random’ health issues cropping up for him: low thyroid, excessive winter shedding, allergies, nervousness, and anal gland infections most recently. Always a good eater, Nichi’s appetite was beginning to suffer. We had chalked it up to his age and perhaps some to the extra energy of the newer pup as well. But, I still wondered if there was something more I could or should be doing for him.
We have always used what I considered a very high quality kibble with the canned version as a treat. However, Nichi’s recent healthy issues took a toll on his appetite. Two rounds of antibiotics since last December from the anal gland infections seem to take the worst toll on him. He was barely eating and it was all I could do to get him to even eat half of what he should. He never had any weight issues but now he was beginning to look too thin. I was making chicken and rice but knew he couldn’t stay on that forever even with an added multi-vitamin. That’s when I found the recipes for homemade dog food. I followed both the cooked beef version (with some added beef liver as incentive 🙂 ) and the cooked chicken version, but substitued turkey. I have worked the Dinovite into the main mixture per the recipes and feed it to both dogs. Our older dog, Nichi, absolutely loved it! It was like he had his old appetite back and literally licks his bowl clean. I’m using up the vitamin E and fish oil supplements we already had on hand for him but will add the Lickochops to our next batches. Of couse, Nyla our younger dog loves this as well. She’s a much less picky eater but definitely goes town on this stuff.
So, we are only on 2 weeks of the homemade food with Dinovite mixed in but I’m already noticing some improvements in Nichi’s energy and stool quality. I’m encouraged to see some improvement already and hoping for the best as we continue. I also made a batch of the bone stock with the turkey bones and put about 1/2 tbsp in for each dog.
Good news.
Hi,
My dog, Goldie, 5 yr old American Pit Bull, has had itchy, bumpy (like mosquito bites) skin and over the last year has developed a smell (my husband said it smells like yeast – I say toast). The vet said he had never seen anything like it (What?!?) and suggested allergy tests. His ideas were allergy to grass, weeds or my house. No thanks, and how do I eliminate her from outside(grass) and inside(house)? I have been investigating and trying quite a variety of foods – all dry, for the past 4 yrs. Finally determined it was yeast after extensive search on internet. Tried apple cider vinegar program. It worked great, but Goldie didn’t like it much. Backed off on vinegar and still on dry food – all her symptoms came back. Finally found a site that described the mosquito-like itchy bumps and blackish skin patches, especially around belly hair follicles. Yeast Infection! Was relieved to read that a compromised digestive system/immune system can lead to other allergies. Their remedy still included dry food. So, I kept looking and finally found your site. Goldie has been on your yeast starvation diet for about a month and everything was going fine until a few days ago. Foamy, then watery diarrhea. She’s still eating and her nose is still cool and wet. Any thoughts on what caused this? I am 100% sold on this diet and know that it’s not the food.
Thanks for your time.
MJL
It sound like a yeast die off is happening. This is also referred to as a detox period. Sometimes during this time symptoms can get worse but it passes with time.
Hi Ed, I have a 12 yr old chihuahua mix that been diagnosed with diabetis. I had bought some food from vet that she recomended from Hills, you can only by from vet, but the dog won’t touch it, would rather starve. I tried for 3 days. He’s back on his kibbles and bits. The vet wants him to eat twice a day, and give him his insulan. He loves raw hamburger. Could he benefit from any of your receipts? I have 2 other little dogs, and if I feed one something, I would like to feed them all the same.
Richard,
Diabetic dogs do well on these homemade dog food recipes. You can increase or decrease the carbohydrates in the recipe to accommodate your dog.
Hi Ed, just wanted to say thank you for your wonderful recipe. I have a 7 year old chihuahua cross who has been suffering for about 6 months with a rash in his groin area. The rash was small red marks and sometimes a small, pimple like pustule would form. The vet said he had an infection in between the layers of his skin and put him on antibiotics. The rash went away, the antibiotics ran out, and the rash came back. I knew if I returned to the vet he would most likely recommend we try switching dog food types/brands. So we played kibble roulette. We switched dog food brands, we switched protein sources, nothing worked. (Oh, and these were the “good” dog food brands like Taste of the Wild, California Natural and Solid Gold.) The rash would diminish and then worsen. It never went away again. I decided to take matters into my own hands and stumbled across your site. I purchased the Dinovite supplement and the LickoChops Omega-3 supplement. My dogs and eagerly awaited the delivery of the package each day so we could begin our raw food journey. Finally, it came. Well, today is day 3 of the raw food meals and my dogs rash is completely gone. I never would have dreamed it could disappear so quickly. The dogs love the food, it is not difficult to make, and the best part: I feel good about feeding it! Thank you for helping us and so many others. -Erica, Jonesy and Hudson
All good news!
I’ve enjoyed reading your website and have a 9 yr old Airedale that is overweight. I want to start him on the homemade food but am concerned about giving him so much white rice. Do you have any suggestions for weight loss/control? Maybe I’ve missed it in an earlier post. Thanks for your information.
Suzanna,
You can eliminate the rice in any of these recipes without a problem.
Having hard time finding the right dog food, feel like my dog is missing somthing in her diet. She is ways grazing on twigs and almost anyting she can find, also grass roots and plant roots. What can I do for this, she vomits next morning when she eats foren mater. Need help
Lucy,
I think you will be pleased with any of the dog food recipes on this site. Give one a try and see how your dog likes it. They are all very nutritious.
Hi Ed. Thanks for providing these great recipes. I am looking to start my 10 year old lab on the chicken and rice recipe and gradually move to the others in time. My vet has recomended not including the crushed egg shells due to the fact that I do not have a blender and the risk of the sharpness of the shell. Do you think a calcium supplement will be needed in this case? Also, my vet was concerned about my lab receiving the proper amount of fiber as well so she recommended adding canned pumpkin or sweet potato to the recipe. Does the Dinovite supplement have fiber in it to help with dogs that have a history of having soft stools and the occasional diarrhia? Thanks for all you advise!
Chris,
Yes, you will need to add a calcium supplement. Dinovite does contain some fiber.
Hello,
My dog is getting all her teeth pulled 🙁
I now need to feed her soft food but I am not a fan of canned food.
What do you recommend?
Jimena,
Try feeding the easy cooked or easy raw dog food recipes, you don’t won’t have any problem eating them.
HI Ed,
Just to let you and others know that after almost three months, things are getting much better. I think with time, dinovite, raw diet minus carbs and adding Supr O mega, yogi seems a lot better for the most part…still some small rashes and dark places in the groin, but he is so much more comfortable, which means I am too! How to keep the oil from the tube of Supr O Mega from smelling up the frig? I thought maybe making it cold would make it more solid, but I guess I was wrong…well worth the smell, since this boy loves it and it is making a difference in his comfort. Do the capsules of Omega 3 that you sell have the same value as the tubed product? If so I will order that next time…if not I will put up with the smell, and consider it well worth my dog’s health and comfort. It is so good to have found comfort for him and even if he has another cleansing period, I know that comfort comes around for longer and longer periods. We Thank all of you there, and I am so touched that I receive e mails asking how the boy is doing…the support you offer is second only to the DinOvite!
Thanks
Carole and Yogi
Carole,
The fish oil is messy and smelly. The smell I can’t change but the mess I’m working on by changing caps and making the hole a little smaller. This seems to work with the tests we’ve done. It is good to hear Yogi is doing better.
Thank you for (1) a very easy recipe outlined step by step and (2) providing a much healthier as well as cheaper alternative to kibble. My guy and I have a rescue Siberian Husky that has a very delicate (even for huskies) system. When we picked him up from the shelter, he was 12 lbs. underweight, throwing up bile, and could not have a solid bowl movement. Almost a month later he has put on four healthy solid pounds, setting down, and has normal movements. He is also much more settled, but don’t take that for less hyper! His energy is amazing but it is not the nervous, stressed energy he exhibited in the beginning. I can tell he is much happier with the cleaner, healthier food as it really is a foundation for a happier, healthier dog! My guy and I thank you very much!
(I write this as I am cookin’ dog food!) Cheers!
Bonnie, Doug, and Baron (woof!)
This is good to hear!
Hi I have a 16 yr old Chihuahua. He has an enlarged heart and is on vetmedin, lasix, and rimadyl. He has always loved people food. The vet tells me he doesn’t have a lot of time left and that his liver enzymes are elevated. I want him to be happy for what little time he has left. He has lost 2 lbs since last october. Would either the raw or cooked diet be a good choice for him?
Katherine,
With very old dogs changes need to be made slowly. Try feeding the easy cooked dog food recipe.
Thanks so much for your recipes. My puppy loves the raw food and her coat is shiny and silky. My question is that I see the egg shell bits coming out in her stool. Does this mean I am not crushing the shells fine enough. I try to crush them pretty small. I worry that if I see them coming out the “other side” that she is not getting calcium she needs. What do you think?
Nancy,
I’ve seen this when dogs first start the diet as their system adjusts. You can blend the eggs and shells in a blender and this will pulverize them.
I will try this recipe and was wondering about the use of veggies (my Long Haired Doxie likes green beans, carrots and sweet potatoes) in this raw meat recipe and not the supplements you mention.
Dave,
For best results feed the dog food recipe as outline with the supplements. Dogs have short digestive tracts and do not digest vegetables well.
Hi,
My chocolate lab had all the symptoms of thyroid problems – rough coat, ratty tail, overweight, hair loss. He was 116 pounds and looked like a walking suasage. All tests for thyroid came back negative, and the vet suggested “an expensive food that might help boost his metabolism”. I said the heck with that, and discovered your website.
I have 4 dogs – 2 labs, a lab-chow mix, and a rat terrier. They all love your cooked recipe. Chance, my fatty, looks a little thinner after a month. He sure has more energy! I have also been supplementing with dulse drops from a natural food store (for him only), bone stock, flax seed meal, fish oil, and nutritional yeast. All my men are doing good. Chance’s coat is less rough, and the hair is coming back on his tail. Now he looks like a frankfurter instead of a bratwurst. I’m hoping to get him down to cocktail frank. It is also fun to cook for them – kind of like making mudpies as a kid. Throw in nutritious stuff and they never complain! Thanks, Mary
With these cooked recipes can I alternate between the two or do I have to fast if I decide to give my dog some variety?
Shem,
No, you can switch between recipes without fasting.
I just came across you website: it’s like I’ve discovered the Holy Grail. I have a 12 year old cross border collie mix who has allergies every year. He’s been on Atopica, cortisone for years…only Atopica worked but my insurance no longer covers it; we’ve reached our max. For the past 6 months he’s been losing his eyesight….sad to see him bumping into walls and trees. My vet can’t explain why. It’s time I do something to help my dog so should I start with the raw food diet or the cooked diet or the yeast starvation diet? Thank you for your website.
Shirley,
I would start with the yeast starvation dog food recipe, feed this for at least 6 months and see how he does.
I have found your site to be very educational and I have learned quite a bit about dog food within the past few months. I began the yeast starvation diet for my schnauzer approx. 2 1/2 weeks ago. I am not seeing a difference in her skin or her itching. I was hoping for some results within the first few weeks. Any suggestions? I am also going to up the amount that I am giving her as she has been losing weight and she acts like she is starving every day when it is time to eat. Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Nikki,
You can increase the serving size per day. Make sure you are feeding the recipe as presented with the supplements. Give it at least 6 months. The first few weeks dogs can actually get a little worse.
Hi Ed. After losing one of my Chinese Cresteds to cancer, I did a lot of research online and read about the horrors of manufactured pet food. After finding this site, I immediately began making the “recipe” for my other 4 dogs – 3 Chinese Cresteds and 1 Chihuahua. As you know, Chinese Cresteds can be prone to allergies. My oldest who is 12 years old could not put on weight and was wasting away. I made the raw dog food recipe and the very first night, they went crazy. No one got sick. No one got diarrhea. As a matter of fact, each night they were waiting for their supper. This was unusual as they didn’t eat the manufactured pet food and turned their noses up at it. I guess they had better sense than I did about that food. Anyway, today, the Chihuahua who is 8 years old has a coat that now gleams. The oldest Chinese Crested is putting on weight. The next oldest Chinese Crested who always had horrible acne problems has no acne 3 weeks after being on this diet. She also had been having leg problems and this has cleared up. The ones that were slightly overweight have lost their excess weight and now look healthy. Their energy levels have shot up 1000 fold. Their eyes gleam. No more “eye boogers” or tearing. My Chihuahua had eyes that ran constantly leaving the stains under her eyes. Her eyes are now bright and no longer run. The stains are gone. The youngest Chinese Crested has so much energy, has begun to sprout a little more hair on her body. I could go on and on. I hope everyone begins this diet with their dogs. I have fed them the raw version, but I have also fed them the recipe with cooked meat. They love the raw the best. I can’t thank you enough for sharing such a healthy and wonderful recipe for my pets!
Ed, let me post one more observation about this raw dog food recipe. The fur that my Chihuahua had and the little bits the Chinese Cresteds had was very stiff and wirey. After 3 weeks of eating this raw food recipe (and sometimes cooked meat recipe) all 4 dogs now have fur that is like baby hair. Soft, shiny, shiny, shiny until it gleams. I can’t get over the difference in their fur! Again, thank you so much!
You are quite welcome!
I have a 17 year old Lhasa Apso. He has terrible allergies and was scratching, itching, biting, pulling his hair out and whining all the time. He also has had excessive discharge from his eyes. I ran into your website and decided to switch him over to the raw meat diet. It’s like a miracle happened. Within 48 hours NO more scratching, itching, biting, pulling hair and whining. He doesn’t have any excessive discharge from his eyes either. Thank you for sharing this with other people.
I fasted him for the first 24 hours and then introduced the food slowly starting with 1/4 portion – twice a day and increasing it for the past 7 days. He has had one problem. He has continual diarrhea. Considering his age, do you think cooking his food would help this situation?
Kathie,
You can try it and see if it helps but it is probably just the transition.
Hello, we are adopting our first family pet. A maltipoo puppy (15 weeks). He will be 5-8 lbs full grown. I have been researching homemade food recipes and would like to know if it is safe to add the dinovite and likochops after the food is cooked and cooled, before freezing? This will allow my children to just feed the puppy without having to measure and add the supplements….thank you.
Gina,
Yes, this is fine.
Hi, I’ve been using the raw hamburger recipe since last October for my two labradoodles. My now two year old doodle had a scary bout of pancreatitis that led me to research dog food, eventually finding this site. They have seemingly done terrific with this recipe, until about two weeks ago, when the same dog, Sophie became very ill again with bloody diarrhea and vomiting. I ended up taking her to an emergency Vet as we were traveling. She didn’t have pancreatitis, but they gave her sub-q fluids, antiemetics and antibiotics, as well as Pepcid. She’s fine now, but it’s made me second guess her diet again. I use a 70/30 ratio of hamburger as recommended. Would it be okay to use a leaner ratio? They love, love, this recipe, I might add. Sophie, who is rather picky and refuses a lot of kibble, stands and drools while I prepare this twice each day. Also, is it possible to cook the Dinovite and Lick-O-Chops into the cooked version? The video references the paste, but is the powdered form more stable?
MaryKay,
Yes, you can use leaner beef and also substitute the Supromega fish oil for the Lickochops. Also, the powdered Dinovite is fine.
Hello Ed,
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading pretty much all comments & questions posted on your site. Thank you for a wealth of new information! I have 3 wonderful dogs I would not trade anything in the world for! I originally became a step-mother of 2 black labs with my fiancé and then adopted a German Shepard/Queensland mix. The labs are 7 yrs old & the Shepard is 3 yrs old. The labs originally started off in one dish with horrible cheap commercial food when I met my fiancé. I noticed over time the male lab had a hip problem and would give out. The male lab sparked my interest in providing them better food with glucosamine & EASILY DIGESTIBLE. Most commercial dog foods are not easily digestible. With a better quality dry food I noticed a HUGE difference in the male! The German Shepard has alway been painful to watch because she eats/CHEWS so ridiculously slow. I don’t mind that… The dog in question is my female lab… She eats her food so incredibly fast she, belches, farts, throws up, & still continues to look for more food! The others can be done and she is sniffing around where their dishes are. She will continue to eat fresh poop from the other dogs and eat grass/weeds all day! I feel like she eats her food too fast and the side effects proceed because of that. I have tried behavioral training & getting Her to knock off some of those bad habit to no avail! My question is: Do you have a tip or trick to help me slow her down and still get proper nutrients absorption? I am at wits end & so incredibly frustrated by how she hoovers everything! I originally started looking for natural dog recipes because i wanted to find natural raw foods that may slow her down because she would need to CHEW them but also get the nutrients to stay in her body. Please help! It makes me want to cry because I have not found a way to slow her down & take nutrients in without making herself sick. Is it just a personality tick? Any info you can provide on feeding or personal methods of training would be greatly appreciated! I have looked all over websites and your opinions/facts feel heart felt & real. Which is why I ask & have actually joined a blog for the first time ever in my life!
Thanks,
Christina, Huck, Harlow, & Daisy
Christina,
Some dogs just eat fast and will inhale anything. The good new is these homemade dog food recipes are easy to digest. Some dogs will slow down eating when given meat and bones together and are forced to chew and crunch their meal. Others inhale this like any other meal.
My 2, 2-year old rescues wouldn’t eat their store bought food so I worried that they weren’t getting the proper nutrition. While researching I came across your website & then began feeding them the cooked ground beef recipe this week. So far they’ve gobbled up every meal, so I wanted to say thanks & tell you I appreciate how you manage the posts on your site. So, with that said I have a question. I’m going on vacation for a week and I have someone house/pet sitting. I didn’t want to trouble her with having to add the Dinovite & Lickochops to their meals every day. Would it be okay to skip them for just that 1 week? Also, I’m sure you’ve already answered this, but is there an alternative to using Lickochops?
Michele,
I just mix the supplements into the whole batch and this makes it easy for anyone to feed. Try that and see how it works.
I have been making bone broth and then cooking the bones for bone meal. Can you mix chicken, beef or pork bones to make the bone meal or should I continue only using chicken bones?
Barb,
Mixing the bones is fine.
I recently started my dog on the cooked beef, rice, and egg recipe. But first I gradually introduced the DinOvite and LickOchops. Then gradually introduced the beef recipe. She LOVES the beef and supplements. I now recall she had an allergic reaction to white rice a while back, and I am seeing that again now. I am now making a new batch with just the beef and egg. But I am concerned about her possibly being allergic to the egg. Is there something else you can recommend if egg is also a problem? Or is ground beef, and DinOvite and LickOchops enough? Thank you.
One of the goals here is to rebuild your dog’s immune system so it it not misfiring at all sorts of food items. So I would take things slowly. Try to keep the eggs in the recipe. If you have to remove them make sure you add the Fidocal for calcium.
Ed! came across your sight. Have many questions. Is it possible to contact you by email? thanx.
It’s best to just post you question here. Try to boil it down to one or two.
Hello,
My almost 2 year old rottweiller/ st. bernard mix Monroe was recently diagnosed with Addison’s Disease. My veterinarian suggested chicken & rice and high sodium broths. But I don’t feel that it is as filling. He said that this could be controlled with medications. My concern is she lost 10% of her body weight and I just want to get her back to a healthy weight. I feel that if I switch her to a purely homemade diet I will be able to have a little more control over the nutrients she needs. Do you think my Monroe would be a good candidate for your cooked chicken & rice recipe?
Sure, it beats the alternative of feeding kibble.
Hi Ed,
You really know your stuff, so I’d like to ask you about my 60#, 13-yr-old Border Collie’s diet. He has chronic kidney disease. I’ve been feeding raw beef, liver and chicken, and cooked egg whites plus a soft mush of cooked yams, white potatoes and collards, ¾ C. of each twice a day (as well as supplements). My question is, why do you prefer white rice over vegetables, and is rice okay with CKD? The web info re CKD is too vague for me, and my vets are no help — they refer me to websites I’ve already looked at! Thanks, Lynn
I include the cooked white rice to help cut down on the cost so most people can feed it. You can remove it and be fine. As far as vegetables go, dogs have a short digestive track not well suited to digest vegetables. So, in order for them to get anything of “any quantity” out of them they need to be sort of predigested. This means pulverized and cooked. People tend to lean too heavily in the vegetable direction because lots of veggies are good for humans. Therefore they must also be great for dogs. I believe wild dogs would have gotten their veggies from the stomach contents of their herbivorous prey or their droppings. Depending on the species of herbivore , dropping (feces) can contain nutrients a dog can use. I live on a farm and have many horses. All my dogs will eat fresh horse manure with gusto:)
Hi Ed, My dog is a 2 year old beagle. She weights about twice as much as she should, 60 lbs. How much food would you started her at and what is the best way to decrease her food allowance. She had been spayed and had to have her anal glands removed. Being a beagle, she truly loves to eat. Any advice would be great!
I’m guessing but would feed around two cups per day.
The giardia will cause stool issues. Try the yeast starvation dog food recipe and see how he does. This recipe does not have the rice.
Hello Ed. I was wondering if you could replace white rice with quinoa. It has so much protein, is small but not sure if digested as easily as white rice. Thank you.
I don’t know I’ve never used quinoa.
Hi Ed I have a 14year old 6lb Yorkie. She was diagnosed with CHF in 2014. My vet told me to cook her food at home. I have struggled to find a recipie. I boil chicken breast or chicken legs. I add low sodium green beans,low sodium carrots,boil white rice. Mix together and feed. She eats extremely well. The problem is she NEVER gets full. She will eat till she literally explodes. I know that isn’t normal. But she has always done this since I got her when she was 3 yrs old. Of course for the first 12years she ate regular dog food. Since she has been diagnosed with CHF and I have to cook for her she has became nothing but bones. Loosing her fur off and on. I thought at one time it was because she was on to much Lasix. So I decreased it. Her hair came back somewhat. Now she isn’t on hardly any Lasix at all. 3daily to half every 2-3. Days. I don’t understand. She absolutely 100% refuses to drink water. Which I know is essential. But she refuses. I thought I was gonna make her give into water but boy was I wrong. She went 2 days without a drop of liquid at all except what was in her food. Well we ended up in the hospital for dehydration. So she is very stubborn. She will not give in like Dr’s say she will. Now my question is what and I doing wrong as far as feeding her. I feel certain she isn’t getting all of the nutrition she needs. Please help. Thank You
Try feeding the easy raw dog food recipe and see how she does. You can blend the eggs and shells in the blender to pulverize the shells. The raw meat is about 70% moisture so this should help her dehydration. Do all the changes slow because she is old.
I want to try out this diet for my 3 Shih Tzu’s. You addressed the question on how to introduce the diet but… if I want to reverse it and go back to a grain free food how do you reverse it? Do you have to do a 24 hour fast and feed them some slowly.
What dry food brand if any would you recommend?
Started the diet today, one of my 3 Shih Tzu’s won’t eat it. The other 2 did reluctantly. Any thoughts?
I try reading the questions and answers but it seems to be many places to look. Hard to find the one I posted to see your response (which there hasn’t been in the 6 days since I asked)
Is there a issue with bacteria from the dogs eating this a concern to humans. Ie. them licking you or sleeping on the furniture.
Sometimes dogs don’t know what to do with raw food at first but they get the hang of it, try hand feeding a little. The bacteria is not an issue for the dogs but can be for people with compromised immune systems and young children. That said I’ve fed raw for near 20 years without incident. Admittedly, I live on a farm, work with animals daily and come into contact with many germs. Some people live pretty sterile lives and don’t have immunity towards many germs and get socked (my opinion).
Yes, I would recommend the fast. Check out dogfoodadviser.com for best kibble.
If you know how much trouble I’ve had over the years with Spring and her itchy skin and losing her hair, big sores, etc. you will understand why I am sharing this information. I found this website and out of desperation, I began the journey of making her food myself on Dec. 25, 2015. It’s now 4 months later and she is not itching, her hair has grown back, no sores and she’s even lost some weight. And…she doesn’t stink! It was the yeast. Who knew? I make all of her food fresh every day. The thought of feeding my sweet Husky/Shepherd 13-year-old, nearly blind Spring a diet that consisted of raw hamburger was a little daunting; however, I found that she loves it. Since I started with the fast and introduced the food slowly, she had no digestive problems. None! She is one happy dog and I am ecstatic. As they predicted, her problems did get worse before they started to get better, but we hung in there. I have spent years taking her to the vet and treating her with allergy shots but never healing her. Today, she is healed! A coupld of vets suggested that I change her food; however, NO vet has ever mentioned to me that it could be a massive yeast infection related to her food. So, this is why I’m sharing this. If it helps just one sweet dog and one more dog lover, it was worth typing this long message. My only deviation from this recipe is that Spring prefers raw eggs. She seems to not like hardboiled eggs. Talk about a spoiled girl! I am so happy that I found this diet. There’s no way I would ever feed another dog anything else!
Ed,
Thanks for your very informative site. I am ready to take the plunge into feeding mine and my daughter’s dog the cooked food recipe. We buy very expensive kibble which leaves a heavy build up of tarter on their teeth unlike canned food. Human grade food has to be better for them. Question: my daughter’s lab mix has been suffering from a trembling jaw. I know he is in pain and possibly suffering from migraines. Aside from the change in diet, would you recommend teeth cleaning and placing a dog under anesthesia for this treatment. I have read the plaque build up may cause the trembling?? We are Leary to put him under due to nearly loosing him to an accidental poisoning. It just seems like it may be more trauma to his nervous system.
Your thoughts.
It’s a good idea to get your dog’s teeth cleaned.
thanks – I have since found some herbal treatments wh also recommend doses of vitamin C for fighting bacteria in addition to many herbal remedies for toothaches, infection and bad breath. Recieved my dinovite yesterday and I am excited to get my dogs healthy.
Thanks again,
J
Hello,
I started my dachsund/beagle mix on 4/18 without supplements yet. Because i was waiting for my order. He wouldn’t eat kibble any more, he seems very happy and loves the food. My recipe is different. He gets ground beef, chicken, Turkey. Its about 10 lbs i make a huge batch and freeze. In that is rice, california medley of veggies and 18 eggs. I bake 350 for an hr, because i dont know where the meat i buy at the store comes from.
its been almost 2 months he gets 1/2 cup every feeding 1/2 scoop of dinovite powder and hen the likochops. The only thing is he is doing well but we still shedding a bit n he still is crazy with licking his paws. Am i doing something wrong?
It looks like you are adding a bunch of carbs to your recipe and this can promote yeast overgrowth. Try feeding the yeast starvation recipe and see how your dog does.
Good Morning,
I have an 8 month old French Bulldog and he has been regurgitating food almost as long as we have had him. So I’m changing his diet and eliminating dry dog food. He looks healthy and is active plus he eats like a horse.
My question is why would white rice be included in a natural diet? I’m trying to look as this from a logical standpoint. He’s a canine and canine’s in the wild would not have access to rice. I’m not sure of the food value for a dog. I do know that rice can help when a dog is experiencing diarrhea. Everything else I understand.
Thank you,
Royce
Check out our FAQ’s this question get’s asked a lot.
Good morning Ed
Great site! My westie has been on this diet for about 3 weeks. This morning he has some mucus in his stool. I understand that this is normal for the process. He’s itchy and paw licking has reduced some days and others…I just can’t do anything to help him.
I realize that this is a process and I am more than willing to work through…But, is there some other encouraging signs that this process is working and if you can maybe give me some idea or signs that we are on the other side of this problem and the yeast is defeated!
I am hopefully that you can give some support and information on this!
Pattie
I would not be concerned, give his digestive system time to adjust.
I have a 3 yr old Staffordshire Terrier who is 7 pounds overweight and has double hip dysplasia. I am giving him glucosamine and elk velvet. I need to make my own dog food to help him lose weight. I don’t know how much of your chicken rice recipe to feed him or how much and what supplement to give him. Also, how many calories are in your chicken rice dog food and how many should my dog have a day to lose weight? Thanks, Gail
Try feeding the yeast starvation dog food recipe, this should help him trim down. Start off feeding him 2 cups of food per day and see how he does. If he starts to trim down then feed this amount till he hits the desired weight then start feeding a little more until his weight loss stops.
Hi there,
I have two Vizslas, both with GI problems; our female is almost five and our little guy is about six months old. Our girl came to us with Giardia which we were never able to get rid of completely, although it has been dormant now for years. We struggled for a long time finding a food she did well on and she is now on supplements and Timberwolf Organics and does well on that.
When we got our boy, he was super hearty and did well on Timberwolf too, up until about six weeks ago when I started finding puddles of pudding in the yard. We figured he had contracted Giardia, but to our surprise tested negative several times to all parasites. The vet told us to put him on a bland diet of chicken, rice, cottage cheese, and baby food which helped, but whenever we tried to put him back on kibble, the same thing would happen. So, I have been feeding him a mix of hardboiled eggs, raw chicken with bones, cottage cheese, rice and apples and he has done best on that. Recently I realized this might be a forever thing and I was worried as I knew supplementing would be difficult and time-consuming.
I started looking at raw food options, specifically Primal, but when I saw the price tag, I wondered how anyone could afford $20 a day to feed their dog! I came across this blog by chance and just wanted to say thank you! I am going to give the raw dog food recipe a try and am hoping that maybe our guy might do well on it. Just ordered my supplements and I am ready to get started. I’ll report back on the results. Fingers crossed!
Ed, why do you have the Lickochops crossed off in the raw recipe?
It looks like the link was broken but I have fixed it. Thanks.
Hello,
Bailey was just diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She is a Sheltie mix, 46 lbs.,(everyone thinks she’s a border collie), ten years old. I’ve fed her a variety of “quality” foods, as well as made my own. I’m looking for a recipe that will best to support heart health.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Teresa and Bailey
Hello,
Just started my 12 year old Vizsla on the raw dogfood. I’ve ordered the extra’s you mention but they haven’t come in yet. She has always been a grazer. Never eaten her food right away and sometimes leaves it all day until we get home. She has not been eating lately, so I thought I would try this. She eats right away wagging her tail which she has never done before. She has more energy. She has always had this gag cough and since I started her on this (it’s been about a week now) she hardly coughs at all. My question is, is it normal for a dogs stool to be reduced. She has always gone twice in the morning and at least once or twice in the evening. She didn’t have one yesterday evening or today and the ones she has had have been a lot smaller.
Yes, you will often see less or smaller stools.
I am DESPERATE. My GSD has been to the vet countless times for his skin (he’s 3 and 82 lbs). When it’s time to shed, he sheds and then some. It’s so bad in the winter that he is constantly scratching, licking, biting his skin. I feel so bad and I’m all out of options. I am concerned about feeding him raw food. I have a 2 year old who is into everything, including the dog water bowl. I would hate for her to touch the bowl and pick up anything. Do you think that maybe cooking the food would still have a good benefit? My mother-in-law recently purchased Dinovite for us after being at my house two days a week watching him consistently itch. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I am wasting money on out vet and getting no results for my dog. We are heartbroken for him….. We just want to fix this.
Try feeding him the raw in a room your two year old can’t access and then wash the bowl. If this is not an option try lightly cooking the food but don’t cook the supplements because heat will destroy them. Add the supplements after the food is cold. Hope this helps.
Hi I’m so excited to start the yeast starvation diet I have a 2 yo french bulldog who is being dealing with yeast infections thanks to all the antiobiotics and vaccines he got when he was little. I was wondering if during this yeast starvation diet can I add the Dr. Mercola Digestive Enzymes For Pets and the LICKOCHOPS ~ OMEGA 3, 6 & E.
We just got a new puppy frenchie also she is going to be 3 months old I’m feeding her kibble but I would love to start her on homemade food or raw I don’t know when is a good time to do it and I want to know if should I get all the vaccines the Vet says I suppose to get with all the research I have made I think vaccines (not all of them) make our pups just getting sick.
Thank you
You can add the digestive enzymes but the recipe already has them in the Dinovite.
Thank you so much for answering, so Dinovite it is!!! What about my puppy do you think it’s fine if I start feeding her with the recipe? She is on kibble now and just 3 months old.
Thanks you
Yes, puppies do well on these diets.
Hi,
I just started my 12 years old black labrador on homecooked diet and I have a couple of questions. Can I combine chicken with beef, chicken with turkey..or I should use just 1 meat kind. How much liver is safe to use with 5 pounds meat? Can I substitute the rice with quinoa? All I care is to make his food as healthy as possible so if the rice has no health benefits for my dog I would prefer not to use it. I already ordered all the supliments you suggested.
Thank you so much for all the great information you have on your website.
Yes, you can mix meats. As far as liver and other organ meats, limit them to about 20% of the recipe because they can cause digestive upset in higher quantities.
Hello Ed-
I am in the process of switching my 3 dogs to homemade food. I understand that dogs do not eat fruit and veggies in the wild, but you are the only source I have found that doesn’t include it in your recipes. If you don’t mind me asking, what are your credentials? Are you a certified dog nutritionist? All I see is that you are a dog lover and this is your passion. Even Web Md suggests vegetables. My vet today suggested a website created by Vets that has homemade recipes, and they include all sorts of fruits and vegetables (and a supplement). It’s hard to know who to trust. Your theory on brown vs white rice sounds good, but again, my vet told me to use brown rice. Can you please share where you get your knowledge on this subject?
Thank you.
No
I don’t mind you asking, I’m not certified but I have been professionally formulating pet feeds and supplements for 20 years. I started formulating reptile diets. In fact I developed one of the first iguana diets ever. I did this by maintaining 100’s of iguanas on my different diets and recording/watching the results and overall health of the iguanas. We were able to grow them to breeding size in a year with no abnormalities. I later developed a carnivore (reptile) diet that I raised babies up to adults and bred them on feeding nothing but the diet. I repeated this procedure over and over again with different species. I used the same method to develop Dinovite and fed my entire kennel on a homemade dog food for years. This is my background.
As far as fruits and veggies go, people tend to want to swing far to that side (vets included) because its healthy for people and quite a bit cheaper and I push back. Yes dogs will eat some berries/fruit but most veggies would be from stomach contents and more likely fresh manure because it is readily available.
Hi Ed! I adopted my uncle’s dog Bailey, who’s a poodle mix 2 years ago. He’s had ear infections that got resolved. But now he has persistent crusting and rashes on his skin despite his food change and apoquel prescribed by the vet. I’m planning on doing the yeast starvation for Bailey once I get the dinovite supplements. So my question is do I still continue to give him the apoquel daily with the diet? I want to eventually stop the medication because it doesn’t seem like it’s working. And is it ok to give the nub nubs snack while he’s on the diet? Thank you for your time!
I’m sorry I don’t have experience with apoquel but it sounds like it’s not working. Yes, you can feed the Nubonubs treats along with the yeast starvation recipe.
HI! I started my Pitbull on the yeast starvation diet after 24hrs of fasting. She has been on it for 9 days now and has yet to have a firm stool. She is having diarrhea every time she goes out and after going she just stands there hunched trying to eliminate and of course its nothing but liquid. I am getting worried since I have always been a “firm stool” freak her whole life. She has been suffering from yeast her whole life, she is 7 and I cannot stand to see her quality of life diminish like it has, that’s why I am done with the kibble. Should I be worried because of the diarrhea or is it normal with this yeast starvation diet??? If its normal, when should i see her stools become firm again and if its not normal what should I do?? Has anyone experienced this? thank you!!
Usually a dog may get too firm of a stool on the diet. What you could be seeing is a yeast die off. Your dog may also of been on a high carb diet if this is the case try feeding the easy dog food recipe because it has rice in it and this can help the transition from kibble to homemade. If that works then each time you make a batch use half the rice until it is rice free, this should do the trick.
Hi Ed!
Our dog Sandy is a medium size Potcake we rescued from the Bahamas. She is about 2 years old now. She went through heartworms treatment this year succesfully and also had other GI issues like clostridium toxines and all the meds she had to take took a hit on her but she is looking healthy again! Because of all these GI problems we’ve been feeding her basic rice and meat when she was worse and homemade foods and she’s been on good quality kibbles and canned food for a while. But I definitely want to give her homemade food that contains all the nutrients required and it seems that your aupplements would do it! I personally prefer to start with cooked meat until we are sure she is stabilized with all the issues and won’t need anymore meds for a while, because they have taken a hot on her immune system and GI system. Would you recommend using the lickochops or the supromega or maybe both or rotate? Woth the dinovite of course. Any other supplement occasionally or also add organ meat or fish that I read is really good?
Thank you!
Use the Supromega if you are feeding a chicken base diet and Lickochops for beef based.
Thank you so much for your help. We have been cooking for two months now for our two golden retrievers. My female had saggy red eyes and a very sensitive stomach. Our male was always licking his paws and had dry skin. And of course we have the dogs that shed the most. I was switching dog foods constantly trying to find the right one and then when I thought I did they would discontinue it. My last golden retriever died of cancer very young(7). I had it. I started looking up homemade dog food last year and kept saying I was going to switch. Then I found your website. It is so easy to use and my dogs love the recipes. They also love the supplements. Their shedding has cut in half. My female’s eye problems are gone and no more sensitive stomach issues. My male licks no more and they are so soft and happy. My husband and I tag team on cooking day for the dogs. We cook once a month and it is so easy. We are also saving money.
Don’t know why we did not do it sooner. Thank you so much. Now we are looking to do it for our two cats.
I made the cooked meatloaf recipe for my Jack Russell yesterday, and she loves it. Eventually, I will try her on the raw.
Yay! I finally figured out how to get on this communication site. I have been trying for 3 days!
Anyhow, I was lucky, I guess, to have clicked on your website first, in my search for homemade dog food. My Molly is an 11yr old lab/boxer mix and although I had fed her homecooked chicken the first 5 yrs of her life, i switched her to commercial. Now I want to switch her back because she seemed to have lost her appetite, and energy. She had a shoulder soft tissue injury about 8mos. ago and has been limping. Tried anti-inflammatories and pain killers but it comes and goes, so I stopped the Metacam. I followed your chicken and rice recipe and has been on it for 3days now. I have not ordered your Dinovite or Suprmega yet, but I sprinkled flax oil in it. I read about the healing powers of Turmeric for joint and muscle aches and pains and startd adding this too today. I noticed her poop is smaller, and I read elsewhere on “comments” here that that’s normal. Whew. Thank goodness, as I was worried.
So, tomorrow i will order the Dinovite, Supremega and Lickochops as I learned, also in reading most of the “comments” here that it answered most of my concerns.
Molly took to her new food right away and actually looks forward now to mealtime.
So my question now is: would it be okay to give her Turmeric, and her glucosamine supplement for her joints along with her new diet? Because she’s still limping, and I want to stay away from the prescription Metacam. I plan to switch her back and forth too, with the cooked beef and chicken recipes. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise!
Good to hear you made the switch. Yes, you can use turmeric.
Hi Ed,
My dog has always licked his paws and got ear infections. Then one day at the end of August last year, he stopped licking and started biting until he was bloody and his paws and armpits were furless. He has been living in an e-collar since. After many visits to 2 different vets and trying every medication for allergies that currently exists short of allergy shots, I decided to change his diet. So in March this year, I put my dog on your yeast starvation diet but I cooked the ground beef (73/27) because I have a toddler. The changes he went through while on the diet were interesting to say the least. After about a week in, his white/cream fur turned dark pink in many places-down his legs, around his face, on his rear. This happened pretty much overnight and I was excited, thinking this was the yeast coming out (as I had previously researched). The fur color went back to normal white about a week later. Then, his fur started falling out on its own (we had him in an e-collar still). It happened in patches. He didn’t get any ear infections since I started the diet though. In fact, his ears were cleaner than they had ever been since I adopted him, so that was a positive sign I held on to despite the loss of fur being a shock. Then, about 4-5 weeks in, he started getting a thick, green discharge from his eyes and some of the fur around his eyes fell out (but not all of it) and the skin was red. The next week all of the fur on his chest and neck fell out and the skin was red, hot and inflamed. He smelled terribly of Fritos and my house smelled terrible. All of this was very, very concerning but I told myself this was still the yeast and bathed him regularly with a holistic anti bacterial neem/tea tree shampoo and tried to keep him comfortable. A week later, he was still experiencing the fur loss/red skin and he also got a bad ear infection and his ear was swollen worse than I had ever seen it. The fur on the underside of his ear came off easily in chunks when I tried to clean his ears and put drops in. That was very shocking to me, it was like the fur wasn’t even attached it came off so easy. Then, the following day a benign cyst he had on his tail from the day I adopted him burst. I expressed as much of the black gunk as I could but was concerned about the bleeding and risk of infection (and everything else that was going on) so I took him to the vet again the next day. I told them about my systemic yeast theory, everything I was doing with his diet and everything he had experienced. They were concerned that he was possibly allergic to the eggs or beef I was feeding him and told me those were highly allergic foods. I was shocked and didn’t want to give up after being on the diet for less than the minimum 90 days recommended, but I was very concerned about the state he was in. They gave him a steroid shot, more medication for his ear infection, a new chlorhexadine based shampoo and mousse, and a prescription for Purina Pro Plan Hydrolyzed food. They also sent me home with prednisone pills to use if the steroid shot didn’t help. I transitioned him to the new food. His ear infection cleared up with the meds. The steroid shot gave him some relief from itching for about 2 weeks, but it progressed back to him being very itchy. I called the vet and started him on the prednisone pills, but they didn’t help at all. Now, he has been on the prescription food for a little while and he is absolutely miserable. He is still in an e-collar. He has been able to get it off a few times and he has chewed his paws bloody in a matter of seconds. I know he has not been on the food the recommended amount of time to truly evaluate it either, but he is so itchy, rubs himself on anything he can, licks his e-collar constantly and will try to chew his paws the second he is done eating.
I can find a lot of information on yeast online, but very little on the symptoms dogs face during yeast die-off, only that it will usually get worse before it gets better. I know every dog is different, but I can’t find any personal accounts/experiences which is confusing. Then, I also recently read that many people say diet can’t create or eliminate yeast issues and that was a myth perpetuated by a vet on the internet. I’m so confused with information overload and saddened that my dog has had to live almost a year in an e-collar and is so miserable. Do you have feedback on the symptoms I described to determine if it was an effect of yeast die-off, or an allergic reaction to beef or eggs like the vet thought? Thannk you!
I’m sorry for the late reply, my schedule got crazy and I took some time off from the site. Can I ask, did you mix the Dinovite and Supromega with the yeast starvation recipe because this is important? The Dinovite provides microbes that will help support the immune system and out compete the yeast.
The myth idea that “diet can’t create or eliminate yeast issue” is nonsense, diet is the cause. Cooking the meat is ok, it makes sense with a toddler. You can switch meats if you want. I had a dog named Polly who had terrible yeast issues, she would itch till she bled and stink so bad that visitors would hold their nose and say “my word what is that smell” She weighed about 30 pounds. I fed her a can of salmon, two raw egg yolks and a scoop of Dinovite a day and she cleared up.
What is going on is the yeast is now systemic in your dog, leaked through the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream where it has spread throughout your dog’s body. You need to build up beneficial bacteria that will out compete the yeast in the GI tract and then it will start to heal. The steroids are counterproductive to a healthy immune system, it’s a vicious circle.
You have to feed a carb free meat based diet and build up the gut flora with beneficial microbes, add Dinovite (some of the highest concentrations of microbes available). You can try feeding green tripe as the entire food and see how he does. Brace yourself this stuff smells bad. You can order it on texastripe.com
Again, I’m sorry for the late response but let me know how it is working out.
Hi Ed
Just made a batch of your chicken and rice dog food recipe and got my order from Dinovite.
One of my dogs is allegic to the super o mega fish oil, what can I substitute for it?
Also I see you use tubes of super o mega and I received 8 oz bottles of it. Is this ok to use and how much do I use?
this is what I am doing:
I have 2 small Italian grey hounds. One is on serioids for his health, so he tends to be a little over weight due to the meds he’s on.
This is what the receipe is: 4 pounds of chicken thighs cooked in their juices, 1 cup of brown rice, 9 hard boiled eggs, and pulverized egg shells. Then I add 1 full cup of Divovite with mix well. Put into indiviual containers and freeze.
When I am feeding them, I give each dog I cup of the receipe, also each serving I give them the lick o chops 1 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon of the super o mega fish oil and a scoop half scoop of divovite.
I don’t know how much to put into the entire receipe when making it. Is just putting it into each serving enough. Do I need to add the super omega fish oil to the whole entire receipe how much do I give since my receipe is not as large as yours.
Need your advice
The Supromega is the same in the bottle or tube. Yes, you can add the supplement at each feeding instead of mixing it into the recipe. This may be a good idea for you so you can skip the fish oil on your dog that is allergic to it.